Three Braided Cord
by Blackwell-Triplets
Summary: Mollie, Selene and Vivian Blackwell come to the Wizarding World with pazaz! They are here to stay and make their mark behind the scenes! Snape won't know what's hit him...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: HP characters belong to J.K.Rowlings, as does some of the general story line. The Blackwell Triplets belong to my sisters and I. I make no money off these chapters.**_

_**A Three-Braided Cord**_

_**Chapter One: Finding the Forsaken**_

It was a warm, extremely warm summer afternoon. The Blackwell girls, triplets by the names of Mollie, Selene, and Vivian, were getting a taxi home from a softball game at the international field in Senegal. They had flown out to visit their former home of Dakar, Senegal after their first three years of university in the USA. Their parents were missionaries in Senegal, currently working at a divinity school based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, three countries to the south of Senegal.

"Nice job girls, good hustle," the alumni team waved good-bye as the tired, dehydrated girls hailed a taxi.

It was a done deal, after softball and a shower that they were going to pursue their favorite pastime, read Harry Potter, and update their fanfics. J.K. Rowling's books were even good for college students. But they couldn't have HP parties here like in their university because no one here knew about Harry Potter. The taxi pulled over and Mollie, eldest by 12.3 minutes, started using her practiced French to barter for a price to Hann Mariste, their parent's home. Vivi stared up at the vibrant sun, hopelessly dreaming of rain in this forsaken desert. Looking down, she saw a white man, which wasn't a surprise considering the softball game had just ended and there were many whites around. The surprising thing was his clothes…black robes! Vivi tugged at Selene's arm.

"Selene, check out that guys clothes."

"Who? The beater chugging the beer?" Selene asked as she turned around.

"No Sel, the guy in the long robes, silly! Gosh!" Vivian said as they started giggling at his funny appearance.

"Let's show Mols. Better yet, lets take a picture. It will last longer."

They grinned at each other, laughing at the stranger in the crowd. The unique outsider apparently felt their eyes on him and turned around. Vivian gasped as Selene shook her head. It couldn't be Severus Snape, could it? The man scowled. He was utterly unenthusiastic and making it quite known.

Mollie turned around, unaware of her sisters' newest observation, and yelled at them to get in the broken taxi, her bartering complete.

"You're not going to let him go without getting a picture, are you Selene? The camera is in Mols bag."

"You saw him first, Vivi. You take a picture. He isn't real, we just need water, loads and loads of cool fresh water." Selene ended dramatically.

"Hurry up! Vivi. Sel. I'm tired!" Mollie called impatiently.

"Go on, Sel, ask the imposter to join us." Vivian urged her sister.

"Fine then, I will." She raised her chin trying to not appear as awkwardly shy as she felt. You would feel strange too if you were walking up and talking to a man that no one seemed to be able to see.

Selene walked straight up to the stranger who scowled at her. All Selene's shyness left her.

"Get over yourself; you're not as bad-ass as you think you are. You might as well get into the taxi."

Slightly surprised, he followed her to the taxi and joined the three girls on their way home. Mollie turned around in the front seat to talk to her sisters.

"Hey Viv…Holy FUCK! Is that…?" A dark eyebrow rose at her language.

"Oh good, you can see him too. Then you aren't just a vision of our dehydrated minds." Selene leaned her head back on the bouncy seat, much more comfortable with her surroundings now that this man between her and Vivian was real.

The later was still feeling quite awkward, sitting next to a man she had only read about in books. Snape was expertly keeping his cool under the inspection of these three muggles who acted as if they knew him.

Mollie turned around in her seat, her mind racing. Normally they would have pummeled him with questions, but this guy could still be an apparition of dehydrated minds, or worse: the real thing. All the girls had read the Harry Potter books seven or eight times, and it looked like they had finally gone insane. It was quiet on the short ride home, all of the girls stealing glances at the silent phantom.

The taxi driver pulled off where Mollie directed and stopped in front of the fruit stand. They raced to exit the padding-less taxi (those wheels must have been over seven years old and the shocks were non-existent). Mollie saw Snape look back in disgust as he followed the triplets down a rocky path.

"We don't like to show our house to taxi men, some are a bit off their rockers." Mollie stated to no one in particular.

"Or they like white girls too much...white means money to them." Selene added vehemently.

The house that the small path opened up to was exactly what you would expect in the middle of Dakar. The girls entered the gate from the street to their half decent, two story, concrete, white washed house: no grass, no air conditioning, and horrifically typical. The Snape apparition glided behind.

"I'm showering first," Mollie rushed off to claim her spot, wanting to reclaim her sanity.

Vivi sauntered in behind her, taking her curlier hair out of the ponytail. Yeah, she liked Harry Potter, they all did, but having some wanna-be dressed up and looking like Snape (who Mollie and Selene liked more then Harry Potter) was intolerable. 'Why did I encourage Selene to take him with us? Why am I even bothering myself about him? Sheesh.' Vivian stepped into her parent's shower, the only comfort here. No Snape, no visions, no thought, except the soothing water running down her back. She sighed with relief as she looked at the little key hanging around her neck. She had found it years ago in a trunk in her grandparent's attic and kept it. It looked good on the little gold chain around her neck.

Selene had plopped her sweaty 21-year-old self into the lazy boy, chugging a glace of water, momentarily forgetting the shadow she had called upon. Her auburn hair was falling out of her ponytail not at all gracefully, considering the sweat. She sat up and leaned her elbows on her knees. "Are you for real, Severus? Because if not, you are going to have to go as quickly as possible before my dear Mollie gets to you. And if you are," Selene snorted, "I must be crazy." She got up, not bothering to hear the answer, almost afraid if he would answer.

Snape glided over, he wouldn't shout across the room. "I cannot promise you you're sanity, but I am no illusion of an inane little girl."

That put a fire in her; she was 21 and about to straighten up this proud wizard, when…

"Sel, shower's free!" Mollie bounded into the living room, wrapped only in a fluffy pink towel. "YOU!" Ruffled, she rushed back to get dressed, leaving a wide-eyed Snape and a laughing Selene, who headed for the showers.

Five minutes later, the girls met in their old bedroom. "Okay, we picked him up from softball."

"Mollie, that sounds as if we picked up a stray dog," Selene proclaimed as Vivi snorted.

"But in this case, he is a bat animagus…right?"

"No Vivi, that was only in our fanfic. I'll prove it… Where are the books?" Selene started searching.

Mollie, who had been lying on her back, looked around the room. "Viv, did you take down my Draco posters? I'm going to kill you if you did."

"Why would I do that? Sel, you found the books yet? Ok, what are we going to do about Snape?"

"The books aren't here." A bewildered Selene said while going through boxes of their old stuff. "I thought I had left them out on the desk but they just aren't here."

"That Snape has a lot of explaining to do. I tell you, he isn't a bat anamagus…look it up on or hp-lexicon. They have everything!" Sel headed for the computer at Mollie's orders. "www.jkr …its not in the history." Selene kept searching as Mollie sat up. Vivian looked irritated.

"Website error, site not found. Damn it, no daily wizard! Okay, what about schnoogle? Not found either…" her voice trailed on as she frantically searched websites. Mollie and Vivian moved to the door, Selene followed them. They all walked into the living room to find a sitting Snape.

"SNAPE! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO WITH ALL OUR STUFF?" Mollie's green eyes were flashing as he looked up from a magazine he had been browsing.

"I will politely ignore the language and the accusation and ask 'what stuff'?" Snape quietly responded.

"Our HP Books, the websites…although I don't know how you could have possibly done that even with magic" Mollie icily responded.

"…and all of Mollies" cough "posters are missing as well." Selene added.

Snape set the magazine down and stood up, straightening his wrinkleless cloak as he went. He really looked like he was trying to keep his temper down; no doubt this containment of his temper was on someone else's orders.

"I have taken nothing and touched nothing but that magazine, which was no doubt written by someone with less brains than a first year Hufflepuff." His expression implied that he viewed them in the same way.

"Than why are our books, websites, and every other piece of information on your world suddenly disappeared?" Mollie asked.

"Are you accusing me again, Miss.?" Mollie stared at the waiting figurine of power. Snape's face was stone as he stood in front of Mollie, Vivian hurried to change the topic.

"Perhaps we should have supper now and discuss all of this over Chicken and Alfredo noodles."

Selene and Vivian hurried out of the living room and into the dinning room to start setting the table. Mollie stood before Snape as the others left the room.

"Was I in this stuff that you have misplaced?" Snape demanded, standing so they were almost touching. She had always loved that voice in the movies. It was the softest, throatiest velvet. And they had gotten the voice pretty darn close to the real life one. She breathed in, which was it was difficult as she inhaled the sent of him, he stood so close.

He narrowed his eyes. "I asked you a question and I won't repeat it."

He was obviously losing his patience. He sneered. This was the real thing, she knew now, and it slightly frightened her.

"I'm not deaf," Mollie smoothly replied, regaining her braveness. Finally sure of their phantom, she reached out and touched him on the face. He went rigid at the touch and stepped back, caught unaware. Their puppy was now under the headlights. "I'm making dinner, care to join us?" She turned just as she was going through the doorway. "Besides, looks like we all need answers."

Vivian and Selene were in the kitchen waiting for her.

Snape followed her in to the dining room and seated himself at the head of the table while Mollie whisked around the kitchen. Although it was June and school was out for them, their parents were working in the Ivory Coast for two more days and no maid was hired to cook for them.

"So, just for our sanity, would you care to tell us who you are?" Snape just glanced at Selene. You could not tell one girl from another except for by their eyes, and one had slightly more curls that the others. This Selene had bright blue eyes, almost white in the middle by the pupil.

"Severus Snape. Potions master of Hogwarts School…" he hesitated, "of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He expected them to blow up, faint, or something, but the one they called Vivian just nodded her curlier head and continued putting down forks on the table.

"Why are you in Senegal?" Snape turned to look at Vivian, he noted the eyes were a deep amber brown, warm and strong to those who notice such things. It reminded him of some forest animal, a deer or a bear, maybe a wolf. It was very odd indeed for a muggle.

"Headmaster Albus Dumbledore used a tracking spell to find a powerful seer. It led me to your playing field. Still understand? Our current seer is not nearly as reliable as we had hoped."

"Way ahead of you. We all know that Trelawney is an almost fraud." Mollie answered from the kitchen.

"May I ask your names?" He demanded.

"Mollie Blackwell." Mollie said from her position on top of the island separating the kitchen from the dinning room. "These are my sisters Selene Blackwell," the blue eyed one blew a kiss, "and Vivian Blackwell," the brown eyed one slapped Selene's hand and smiled politely at Snape.

"Glad to make your aquatince." Snape said civilly.

"Good. Now that we are all introduced somebody pummel the man with questions. Oh dangerous one, come here for a second and cut up these unions…we all know how much you love knives." Selene stood to help her sister; she brandished her knives and chopped that union up proper.

"Okay. Um…Severus, does Harry Potter attend Hogwarts?" Vivian asked. 'Simple is best when you start out.' She reasoned.

"Was Harry Potter in your lost _stuff_ as well?" The word stuff sounded sarcastic every time in came out of his mouth.

"Yes, and everyone knows about Harry Potter." That didn't seem to make him happier at all. "Here, I'll call Vanessa, she's a fan." Vivi skidded over to the phone and dialed Vanessa's phone number (way in America... Desperate times called for desperate actions) by heart. "Hello, is Vanessa there? …Oh, hi!… Sorry bout calling you up in the middle of the night… Yah, forgot about the time changes from Senegal to America. Do you know Harry Potter…No, I didn't meet him at the softball game…no, not very hot, um, I'll talk to you tomorrow…Lord of the Rings!…You can't be serious…No, not Legolas!…Good bye Vanessa." Vivian hung up the phone. "Oh my headache."

"Vivi, Advil is in the drawer." Mollie said in her motherly fashion. Snape watched with uncharacteristic fascination as Vivian swallowed two tiny pink pills.

"No one knows about him, then? All our books, posters, sites are gone." Selene sighed dramatically, the back of her hand on her forehead as she pretended to faint into a giggling Vivian's arms. Snape ignored them.

"Okay, now Snape, you have some explaining to do." Mollie said, her hands rubbing her temples. "Twenty minutes till supper: Chickens in the oven."

That night, Snape spent the night in their parent's room. While sleeping, the girls snuck into his room to get a couple pictures of him, making sure that the flash didn't wake him up. Giggling they all ran back to their room and laughed until their sides ached. Those were going to be some good, crazy, interesting, attention-grabbing pictures!

They had figured out, during their discussion with Snape, that Harry was now going into his 4th year (it was still summer after all); Sirius Black was out of Azkaban as of last year (to Selene's great delight); and everything from Quirrell in the first year to the Basilisk in the 2nd year including Dumbledore's lemon drops obsession were happening according to the now non-existent books, or the books-that-lived-no-more as they were sarcastically nicknamed by Mollie.

They also found out that peas are one of Snape's favorite foods, which he was forced to admit after his second bowl full.

Snape had never heard of JK Rowlings, so she probably didn't exist. And if she did than no wizard had ever heard of her. Gilderoy Lockhart, the stupid menace to society, was locked away in St. Mungo's Hospital (thank God). No one really knew where this knowledge would take them, but things would be decided soon, since their parents arrival in Dakar had been moved to this afternoon. The girls woke around 10 o'clock.

They had watched Phantom of the Opera the night before, after their big supper and bigger talk. It was between the Phantom and What a Girl Wants, and after one glance at the cover of What a Girl Wants, Severus Snape had spoken vehemently against it. And with great reason too, because it was an embarrassment to his country. It appeared to the triplets that Snape enjoyed the Phantom of the Opera since he stayed for the entire movie and even added commentary to some parts. He sported a scowl whenever Raoul dared to show his face.

But when Selene had said, "Wow! Christine reminds me of Hermione Granger!" Snape gave her exactly the reaction she was hoping for.

"And I suppose that idiot Raoul would be Potter. And I suppose you have casted all the other roles in this film as well?" he commented. Mollie grinned, catching Vivian's eye.

"Yes actually. Would you like to play the Phantom? I am sure that Hermione would not mind. Nor would Dumbledore mind putting on such a production at Hogwarts." Snape looked at Mollie like she had grown an extra head.

"Merlin! I will not play any of your adolescent roles, Miss. Blackwell. Do refrain for making such a ridiculous suggestion to the Headmaster. Now, would you mind refraining from babbling nonsense during the rest of this…VHS."

And so it went for the rest of the night.

"Good morning, Snape!" Selene sang as she skipped into the dinning room and opened the fridge. She was not normally a morning person, none of them were, but she had slept well unlike her sisters.

"Morning." Vivian grumbled as plopped her small self down at the table next to Snape. Her curly hair flying in several directions, she had tried to smooth it down but it wasn't behaving properly.

"You were up early," Mollie commented sleepily as she walked into the room wearing pink fluffy slippers and jeans with a tee shirt. She took the cereal off the shelf. "What did Dumbledore write?" They had seen an owl fly into their yard early this morning, and none of them were stupid. The owl was still here, apparently in their parent's bedroom from where they could hear its faint cooing.

"Normally, that is none of your business Miss. Blackwell," he spat out. It would appear as though he was not a morning person. "But Dumbledore wishes for you three to accompany me back to London. This would not normally happen and it is not my wish." They saw the invisible "but…" hanging in the air.

"As in we already know everything you tell us and you need us to win your war?" Mollie rubbed in.

"Apparently," was his only reply.

"And our parents?" Vivian asked; she had always been the family type.

"They get in this morning. I have been wanting to speak to them for quite some time now." Snape's eyes momentarily clouded over with an undistinguishable emotion.

"What if we refuse to come with you?" Selene asked, her elbows unceremoniously on the table as she lifted her spoon full of cereal to her mouth.

"You won't," he said to that, but the look in his eyes showed a deeper story. 'If you don't come with me, the Death Eaters will find you and will use unforgivable curse on you until you will tell everything you know. If this happens, the world as we know it will be no more.'

His expression was perfect. The girls read him perfectly. Vivian gulped. Selene looked a bit anxious while Mollie tried not to faint, but that was from the domineering presence before them. She sighed inside. This man was skinnier than the man in the movies, but only a tiny bit. He was just as wonderful as the books in her opinion, and that was saying something!

"So we come with you and do what?" Vivian inquired.

"Sit around until our information from the books is useful? You said last night that Dumbledore was looking for seers. We aren't seers. We just know what is going to happen and what has happened because of JK Rowling." Selene finished.

"If you would like to be doing something useful I can think of a few things Filch could find for you." Vivian shuddered at the thought, Selene smirked, and Mollie was out of it this morning, so she had no reaction at all. They finished their breakfast (Snape had refused to eat cereal) and put the dishes in the sink. There was no need to wash them since they would be leaving soon and their mother was coming. After all, she could wash them. They would have asked Snape to wash them but they didn't really think he would submit to their requests.

"Ok, but we live at Hogwarts castle." Vivian started to barder, stating the simple first.

"That can be arranged." Was that a hint of a smile on Snape's face?

"And…"

"GIRLS? Sweethearts! Where are my munchkins? Darlings we're home! Come to me, my lovely triplets!" Their mother's shrill voice echoed in the silence. The girl's grimaced at one another.

'Munchkins?' thought the triplets 'Darlings?' When had their mother ever used such foul language? Next it would be buttercup, blossom, and bubbles! Too many weird things were happening today. First Harry Potter was real and than their mother was happy to see them!

"In here mother…" Vivian sighed (not even she was used to this treatment). Their father was the first to walk in, stopping short and going rigid at the sight of their guest. Their mother was right behind him.

"Why is he here?" Their father practically hissed.

"Oh, um, we drove him home from softball," Mollie said.

'Lost puppy?' Selene chortled, trying to stifle her mental image of Snape as a lost puppy at a softball game, her puppy turned out to look more like a furry bat.

The said furry bat stood up and walked toward the two stone statues that the triplets normally called their parents.

"Marcus Black and his own Ursula Wells! Or should I say Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell." Snape whispered harshly to them, the girls were straining to hear so he accommodated them and spoke loud enough for them to hear. "Now I know why you left, I would have too. They are wonderful girls, aren't they? Quite the talented trio you have been trying to raise. Don't act like you don't know who I am or why I am here, my _old friends_." He poured the venom onto that last word, making it sound rather like a curse. "I want you to know that it didn't work. They are no squibs, you have seen it, haven't you, Marcus? You were always a sly little dog, the top Slytherin, well now I am taking your girls with me…"

"STOP!" Mr. Blackwell bellowed, his face a deepening red. "You will not take MY children back to Hogwarts!"

Mrs. Blackwell chipped in her to cents here, reminding the triplets of an overlarge Petunia. "No, no, no, no, no! Why do you think we left in the first place! To get our children away from _them_. I was a witch, I went to Hogwarts, I knew what it was like and THANK GOD I am a gone from all that!"

"Whoa, Mom, you're a witch?" The triplets felt cheated.

"WAS a witch." Their father continued. "She broke her wand, as did I. I never liked how we treated people and were treated by them. We were supposed to be all great and mighty as pureblood Slytherins! We were to have the perfect children, but it all was fake! A hoax! A cunning betrayal at best! Now GO TO YOUR ROOM while we talk to this…man."

"Marcus." Mollie eyes narrowed, Selene and Vivian standing side by side with her. "We are going to Hogwarts."

"We will disown you! They just want to use you, they will take you and use you and torture your soul!" their mother shrilled.

Selene laughed a cruel laugh and pointed at her mother. Reminding Snape somewhat of Bellatrix, but he decided not to laugh right now. After all, things were going so well. "What have you ever given us? No love! That is for sure, we could see that you were scared of us. We took care of one another; we tucked each other in to bed when we were younger. We took care of each other when we were sick. You never cared for us." Selene was furious, and rightly so. Vivian looked at her sister, realization dawning on her. Than she walked up to Mrs. Blackwell, her birth mother only, stopped in front of her and slapped her across the face. Shocked, Mrs. Blackwell fell and grabbed her stinging cheek where a red mark was imprinted in the shape of a hand.

"That's for lying to us for 21 years!" Vivian screamed at her mother.

Mr. Blackwell, her father, lunged at his youngest daughter. There was a purple light and the heavy form flew backwards, slamming against the refrigerator and passing out next to his shocked wife. The girls turned around to see Snape with his wand still raised.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about the authorities. There are no magic detectors out here in Africa," Snape said, lowering his wand.

'Was that humor?' Mollie thought. "So you could have washed the dishes for us. Damn."

"Go pack," Snape continued, ignoring what he didn't want to hear. "We have a long journey ahead of us." The girls nodded and left Snape to their parents. While he was quite civil to the girls, they knew he would not be as kind to their parents, but they didn't care.

Snape sneered at the quivering female before knocking her unconscious with a stunning spell. Brandishing his wand he lifted and sat them down against one another at the table. He worked quickly and methodically. Removing memories of the Triplets since the girls left home and establishing a new memory of a car crash where the girls had died. It was difficult but not impossible since the parent had seen their children rarely and didn't think of them too often. He grimaced, silently sympathizing with the young women's pasts. Their childhood was not even close to as unpleasant as his own, but even if it wasn't yet, it soon would be.

A few hours later they stepped on the WAWA Bus; the West Africa Wins Again version of the Knight Bus. Africa was always stealing ideas and things from western nations and this bus was a fine example of that.

"Boujour et Bienvenu! C'est 4000 cfa pour allez vers Espaine, mes petites." (Which meant: Hello and Welcome! It's 8 dollars to go towards Spain, my little ones.)

"Pour chaque personne?" Mollie inquired. (For each person?)

"Oui, 4000 cfa." (Yes, 8 dollars.)

"Oh monsieur! C'est trop! Nous ne sommes pas les touriste!" (Oh sir! That is too much! We are not tourists). Mollie was just getting ready to bargain with this guy, and she was in the mood to argue.

"C'est 4000 cfa." The fat driver did not want to give way, but Mollie wasn't about to either. Selene gave her a nudge and handed her a fountain pen.

"2000 cfa, chef, pour chaque personne et nous allons te donner ce stilo!" (4 dollars, chief, for each person and we will give you this pen.) Mollie insisted, considering that they needed to go now to get the boat on time, and Snape was getting more aggravated by the second, not to mention, rather uncomfortable with this run down bus. The fat bus driver looked over the fountain pen Mollie had handed him. It was a very nice pen; Selene had just received it for Christmas from her parents. They had never been too generous with gifts.

"Bon d'accord, Entrée." (Fine, get in.) He motioned towards the back of his bus. "Les chose que je fait pour les belle filles." (The things that I do for pretty girls.) The triplets climbed aboard, quite disgusted as the driver grumpily checked them out as they went past. He was a fat African man, though they couldn't place his country, but he had decent French and an Arabic accent. He gave Snape the thumbs up as Snape floated the luggage aboard. Snape's movements were ridged and a profound scowl was quivering on his face as he past the arrogant glob of ignorance.

After one break down in Mali, which was customary for the West Africa Wins Again Bus, it took them up to the Mediterranean Sea. Selene had wanted to floo but there were no fireplaces in West Africa, as Mollie had pointed out. They were too inexperienced to apparate and side-alongs were not permitted at so far a distance. So they had to take Dumbledore's suggestion of the WAWA bus, a muggle boat, and then the Knight Bus to reach Hogsmeade where they would than find a Thestral driven carriage to take them up to the castle.

It was difficult packing with so little time, but they had just left a lot of their useless items to be thrown away. The triplets weren't quite sure what they were going to need in this new world.

"We are trying to not attract attention, Miss. Blackwells'. If you cannot remember anything else, remember that." Snape hissed as he paid for their boat ride. Vivian saw some men in robes walking through the crowd. She was going to say something but they quickly disappeared.

'They could just have been tourists,' Vivian thought to herself.

"Not likely," Selene whispered to her. Vivian just looked at Selene oddly; she hadn't said that out loud…had she?

Snape actually fit in well with the surroundings. He almost looked Lebanese with his dark hair, and his robes could have been mistaken for a Muslim outfit if not looked at for too long, although most of the men wore white. The girls smiled to themselves as they sat down on the boat for the two-hour ride across the Mediterranean Sea.

"Snape?"

"Yes, Miss. Mollie?"

'Wow, no Miss. Blackwell!' Selene stared at him, eyebrows raised. He didn't even seem to notice that he had used her sister's first name. Was the boat making him sick?

"Are we witches?" Mollie asked.

"I am not but you may be." Snape glanced down at her, smirking. "Here, I will ask the famous question."

"Who do you like?" Vivian asked.

"Hardly. Did you ever do something unexplainable?"

"Not that I can remember." Mollie sighed as she laughed. "Hey, the golden trio is going into their 4th year, right?"

'Golden trio?' Snape looked at her, liking her nickname for the Gryffindor tri-menace.

"So that means I am three years older than Draco Malfoy, damn it!"

Snape furrowed his eyes. 'She may be a seer but she isn't very quick on the uptake. Draco? He is a git and a sniveling baby.' Mollie just stared at him.

"Say what?" Selene asked.

"Could you repeat that?" Mollie was flabbergasted; had she just heard what she thought she had just heard?

"Snape, you ok there? You looked puzzled." He glared at Vivian. Mollie's feathers were ruffled and by the looks of it Selene had heard him as well.

'Maybe a long talk with my sisters are in order!' Mollie thought. 'I'm not quite sure what's happening to us.'

"Agreed." Selene whispered in Mollie's ear.

It was almost dark by the time they saw land.

Spain!

The girls were watching the miraculous sunset of hazy reds drifting into the heavens, the orange sun reflected the clear blue of the deep ocean cascades of sparkling diamonds . Gentle waves lapping against the side of the boat in a steady rhythm that would lull you to sleep if you let it. It was paradise, awestricken the triplets didn't want to miss anything as they leaned on the rail letting the waves created by the fairy sprinkle them with heavenly sapphires.

Snape was coolly watching them, half-angry that he wasn't allowed to make the boat go any faster, half-angry that he couldn't join the triplets lazily watching the brilliant display. He wasn't allowed to care for nature like that. He wasn't free to experience such things. If any emotion, besides anger and hatred, get in his way, death would be more than just a foreseen event. Even so, Snape didn't give his anger the full attention it deserved. The truth was that he didn't mind being out here. But he would die before letting that delectable piece of knowledge out.

He was either hated or feared by his students, but these girls were different. For one they were older than any student he had ever taught. For another, they had willingly walked away from their home, family, and any friends that they might have had, to come with a middle aged man who never smiled, to a world they had only read about in books. Their trust in him was endearing, yet unnerving.

The boat gently rocked back and forth as it neared the harbor. Mollie, sensing something, turned away from her sisters and sat next to Snape. Her long straight brown hair was wind blown but her bright green eyes sparkled enough to match the stars that were just coming out. The sun sunk lower in the horizon, casting a dim shadow of cool night on the world. He had never really looked at anyone like this before. He knew more about her than she did, her pureblood stood out with her moonlit face. She looked like a Black. He cleared his throat.

"Your mother's maiden name was Wells, your father was a Black. It was the will of both families that they joined names, so they created the Blackwells. Apparently, it was the best match of the season. The most powerful match, too. I don't know details, only immediate family members would. The England Snapes' ran in the same circle but no family would share secrets with another."

"So, why exactly did our parents leave?" Mollie asked.

Snape shook his head slightly. "Even though that is not the question you were supposed to ask I will answer it anyways. They left because of you. Like I said, it is a family secret that wasn't shared. When your parents left, the rest of the family cut them from the family tree, but continued looking for them, which is strange in itself. Once a person is cut off, they normally are never looked for unless they have something the family wants." They sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say.

"Could the Wells or the Blacks still be looking for us?" Mollie asked.

"No, all the Wells are dead," Snape said. He pried his eyes away from hers, unwilling to tell that story just yet.

Selene, hearing the name Black, came over to join them, leaving Vivian by herself, which wasn't a good idea, because the moment Selene left, a drunk Spanish boy came over and started flirting with Vivian. Selene sat down on the other side of Snape.

"I know you had a rough time last year with Sirius, but are we related to him?" Selene asked. Mollie rolled her eyes.

"Miss. Blackwell, all the purebloods are interrelated. Surely you would know that."

Selene sat up straighter to his reply, trying to put something into her own words. "Mr. Snape, my question holds for a different matter! I would like to know how closely related I am to Sirius." He smirked, which was close to a smile, but not quite. He was laughing at her.

"I do not know all of the Black or the Wells family history but from what I have unwillingly gathered, your father and the canine's father are third cousins." Selene laughed at Snape's word for Sirius.

"Yes, I guess he is a canine, a big one." Selene said as she walked off making imitations of a dog. "Woof, woof." Mollie and Snape just pretended not to know her as a few of the other passengers looked at her strangely.

Selene rolled her sleeves up and leaned against the side of the boat as whispers of Mollie and Snape discussing heritage floated past her ears. She stared wistfully at the stars. Glancing at Vivian, she saw her sister laughing at something the young Spaniard said. Her thoughts went away, 'Only a very distant relation…that means I could marry Sirius if I wanted to…too bad he dies while Harry's in his 5th year. Well, that is 2 years away and he doesn't really die. He gets hit with a red light and falls behind the curtain…he dies. Not really since he only gets stunned but I could probably save him, if he really is as good as he is in the books. Or we would both die. Wouldn't that be a Shakespearian Tragedy.'

She was awoken from her daydreams by a loud splash and Vivian, looking over the edge of the boat, people where staring at her. Snape fumed as he strode over her Vivian, his black cloak billowing out behind him. He was a sight to behold; Mollie was mesmerized, forgetting her fear for her sister for a moment. Snape clasped his hands on Vivian's tense shoulders. Vivian, youngest of the triplets, had drawn unnecessary attention to them. He spun her around to face him.

She was pissed, ticked off, blazing red hot, almost more so than he was. Selene and Mollie had only ever seen her that angry once before, when she was called a whore by her ex right after she dumped him.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" cried the captain. They where nearing shore so the poor lad could probably swim the rest of the way, but it was good for customers if they threw him a lifesaver.

"Explain," were the only words Snape could get out through his clenched teeth. He searched in her brown eyes for the answer.

"That arrogant bastard was trying to feel me up, and he had a wand, so I punched him and he fell, luckily for him, over the rails. If he hadn't, I would have really hurt him."

"Did he use his wand?" Snape whispered back, most of the anger had left him, only fear that Dumbledore's plan had been meddled with.

She fumed. "Didn't have a chance to use either of them." Her sisters ran over to her, they had all been through some sort of the same thing. Selene even had the gull to laugh at Vivian's pun, which helped lighten the mood a little.

Spain, the land of romance and happy beginnings.

"I thought that was Rome." Mollie looked down at the brochure she was holding. Too bad they weren't staying; Spain looked like lots of fun. Apparently her sisters were thinking the same thing and they glanced longingly at the large buildings and romantic architecture, which were slightly hard to see considering the time of night. The nightlife here was amazing, though; everyone was up and about.

They followed Snape through the streets, down into a tiny alleyway where no one would seem them call the Knight Bus.

Wow, the Knight Bus, all of it was real, it was kind of hard to believe. It was all still kind of hard to believe.

Mollie and Selene (Vivian had her opinions too but she enjoyed the actual books more than the fictions of other people) had always talked about which Harry Potter book character they would "want to kill" or "want to marry" or "want to go flying with" but it brought a whole new perspective now that these were no longer two dimensional characters through the eyes of Harry Potter. I mean, who would have though of Snape being almost agreeable to three girls. (No doubt he was under orders to be nice.) And then traveling from West Africa to England with them without turning at least one of them into a bat. Snape stopped abruptly.

"I suppose you know how the Knight Bus works," he drawled in that pureblood Slytherin way of his.

'No duh,' was the only expression he received.

Snape stuck out his wand hand and with a thundering crash, the Knight Bus halted before them. The WAWA bus really wasn't as impressive as this massive amount of machinery. A conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night, glancing from time to time at a piece of old paper in his hands.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch of wizard. Just stick out your wa…"

"That will do Shunpike. Here are 11 sickles per person. To Hogsmeade, quick as possible, if it is possible in this broken down piece of …" the rest was cut off because Snape was already inside and the girls couldn't hear any more. But Stan Shunpike flinched, he had been one of Snape's students at one point and time, he knew what it was like. Shunpike stood with his open hand in front of him, holding 2 gallons and 10 sickles, he quickly got a hold of himself. Clearing his throat he helped the girls with their trunks, being as polite as possible. The girls followed suit and climbed into the bus. They were not surprised at the lack of chairs, and they sat down on a brass bedstead beside a curtained window. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed; they would have to get used to the lack of electricity.

"Ladies," Stan put the last trunk down and cleared his throat, eyeing Snape uneasily. The triplets looked at him expectantly, but it only made poor Stan more nervous. "Ladies, Sir, this is your driver, Ernie Prang." Vivian almost felt sorry for the old wizard Ernie and his very thick glasses.

"'Ello!" shouted an almost deaf Ernie. He waved his hand at them while still focusing on the not yet moving wheel. A tremendous Bang and the bus mounted the pavement, hot hitting anything. Even so, it didn't look like Ernie had mastered the use of this contraption yet. The triplets, not ready for the sudden movement were thrown backwards flat onto their bed; Selene was actually hurled over the bed, legs flying as she did a summersault. Vivian never quite made it on top of the bed, just landed against the side, but Stan was right there to help her back up.

'Lucky Mollie, landed on the soft bed,' thought Selene reproachfully. Snape, who had braised himself, watched the unprepared triplets with quiet amusement on the outside. Inside he was cursing himself; thankfully no one had noticed that he had steadied Mollie. He quickly put his wand away; he hadn't even realized when he had gotten it out.

Two stops later, the Knight Bus worked really hard to get the Snape and Company off ASAP, they arrived on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, which wasn't much to see at three in the morning. The triplets could see a few late night drinkers wobbling in and out of the pubs. A stray dog, barely visible in the dim streetlights, ran across the road slipping between two houses. They where more or less dropped off at the gates to enter Hogwarts.

Banishing their trunks towards the castle door Snape led them towards the single carriage waiting for them. 'Thestrals!' the girls gapped in wonder and excitement. Selene was actually bold enough to touch one on the side. Mollie than pet it since it didn't kill Selene. The Thestrals were scary, especially at night, with its white shinning eyes, the curve of its dragon shaped face, the skeletal black body almost blended right into the night, not easing the appearance of these creatures. Vivian shuddered as Snape opened the door, letting the tired girls climb in, a fascinated Mollie was last to get in.

'So they have seen a death,' Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Our great grandmother, who I guess now is not really our great grandmother but a fake, kicked the bucket in the hospital with our entire family around her last year," Mollie quietly replied to his expressions, as she yawned.

"Yeah, she had to have the entire family there before we could get her to finally go," Selene replied as Vivian snorted. Snape readjusted his robes as the carriage started up towards the castle. They would have to take the boats later as an orientation, it was too early in the morning with no sleep, and they couldn't possibly enjoy the view at this time. The carriage bounced up and down in a comfortable, homecoming sort of way. Vivian sighed and leaned her head on Selene's shoulder. She looked across to Mollie whose slowly nodding head and closed eyes was unknowingly leaning against Snape. He looked slightly annoyed and very uncomfortable, but unwilling to look weak and push her away.

'Nope, he's not used to human contact, especially when the sisters are watching him,' Vivian thought. Selene smirked as she watched them to see what Snape did. If he was too gentle with this sleeping beauty, his reputation would be ruined. If he was too mean Dumbledore would know. So he just let her be; not daring to look down at the creature invading his personal bubble, assuring himself that all would be over soon.

'She's too young, she is only twenty one,' he reprimanded himself, but seventeen was the 'of age' number, so his scolding did not last long. The carriage pulled up to the steps where Dumbledore waited for the tired travelers. Their luggage had already been carried into their new home by a willing house elf.

Vivian and Selene stumbled out of the carriage and met Dumbledore with as much enthusiasm as they could muster, which just ended up in a handshake and staring at his long beard. He really did look like a skinny Santa Clause. They had left Snape, stranded with Mollie, in the carriage.

Snape poked her, trying to wake her up. "Miss. Blackwell, wake up." Silence. "Miss. Blackwell, we have arrived." She just snuggled closer and sighed in her sleep. This was ridiculous and Dumbledore was just outside. 'No doubt his eyes are twinkling in that absurd way of his.' Snape rolled his eyes. He couldn't even get to his wand; her arms were around him too tight. "Mollie?" he whispered in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open, realizing where she was she jumped back a little, smacking her head on the carriage but giving him room to breath.

'Jumping away, the same reaction from everyone,' he thought.

"Ouch!" Rubbing her head, she practically slept walked out of the carriage. Snape climbed out right behind her, steadying her with his hand as she wobbled towards the Headmaster.

"Good morning, sir," she smiled weakly at his long white beard tucked into his belt.

He chuckled. "Good morning, Mollie. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said with a yawn, her sisters mimicking her action. Snape clenched his teeth to keep from the contagious yawn.

The headmaster nodded and smiled. "This way to your quarters, then. I took the liberty to set up a small living quarters in the castle for you. Shall we talk more in the morning?" He turned towards the Potions Master who was keeping Mollie standing. "Severus, if you would walk with me?" Snape looked down at Mollie who just nodded.

'Permission?' He wasn't looking for permission! 'Am I?' Selene just smirked at his confused face. That was one victory for Mollie.

'She's softening the old bat quickly.'

Mollie leaned towards Selene. "He's not a bat, not an animagus, remember?" Mollie whispered to her as they followed the Professors around twisting hallways.

Selene furrowed her brows. "Did I say that out loud?" Selene asked.

"No…" Vivian replied. "I didn't hear anything."

"Well, I heard it and you called Severus an old bat," Mollie snapped. Selene just grinned as Snape started to turn around.

"So he is Severus now, not Snape. When are you going to call him Sevvie?" She teased.

"Shut up. I'm tired." Mollie tried to hit her sister but missed by a mile in her tiredness.

Seven feet ahead, two great wizards talked about their findings.

"I was expecting an old hag, not three forgotten witches. It all makes sense that the Wells abandoned the wizarding world, now. It is too dangerous to have Blacks and Wells mixing." Dumbledore just smiled at his Potion Master's words, a tired sort of smile that knew what was going to come but didn't want it.

"Ah, life isn't exactly what you always expect. How was your trip?"

"Detestable," Severus stated, his typical sneer returning to its place. "Miss. Vivian Blackwell found a drunken wizard and knocked him overboard. That was…amusing. All transportation went at a terribly slow speed and the triplets already know everything I tell them." Snape grimaced; he wished he had kept his mouth shut on that last part.

"The Knight Bus has never been my favorite form of transportation, either, but the carriage ride wasn't too crowed, was it, Severus?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. Before Severus could answer, they stopped in front of the door to the triplets new flat inside of the Hogwarts Castle.

"Purple Pasties," Dumbledore said to a life-size portrait that was much taller than he was. The triplets stumbled into their purple living room. One look around told the triplets that this color would have to go, not that they really minded purple, just not _this much_ purple.

"Please floo to my office in the morning, if you will, ladies. Good night!" The portrait gently closed behind him.

An inviting fire crackled in the fireplace as the girls headed towards a door on the other side of the living room. Vivian opened the door.

"Ooops, it's a bathroom." Mollie groaned and looked around for another entrance to their bedroom.

A blank wall beside the bathroom door looked like a good place for a door. She smiled a small, exhausted smile. The triplets went and stood in front of the blank purple wall.

"They didn't give us the password," Selene said.

"NAME," a deep voice boomed out, causing the girls to jump slightly. Had it come from the wall? Normally there was a photo there or something. Ah well, life isn't always as you expect. Might as well give it a try, they shrugged their shoulders.

"Mollie Blackwell."

"Selene Blackwell."

"Vivian Blackwell."

"ENTER." An arch appeared in the wall and they walked through to find three four-poster beds with light purple drapes hanging down like they do in the old castles where princesses used to live. Fake windows were on two sides of the room, charmed to look like you were looking at the lake, which was odd since thick walls surrounded them as did a lot more castle. There were lacy pillows on their beds. Also purple, there would HAVE to be some MAJOR changes. Except to the beautiful three piece wardrobe, it was mahogany, not purple, and the fireplace in their room with it's beautiful brick was not to be changed. They flopped themselves on down, which was fun since the beds bounced them right back up. After finding their pajamas they flopped into bed and fell straight to sleep as pastel and bright purples moved in and out of their dreams. What a day it would be tomorrow.

Read and Review - write me back and tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: HP characters belong to J.K.Rowlings, as does some of the general story line. The Blackwell Triplets belong to my sisters and I. I make no money off these chapters.**_

_**A Three-Braided Cord**_

_**Chapter Two: Down Diagon Alley**_

The morning came too quickly. The Blackwell Triplets woke up, heads buzzing with purple sounds of alarm clocks.

'Those clocks have to go too.' Thought Vivian as she grabbed a purple pillow and threw it in the general direction of the sound. Selene groaned, rolling over to the other side of the bed and closed her eyes again. Mollie sat up in her bed, hair everywhere and eyes still half closed. She put her bare feet on the cold stone floor.

'Ooh! Cold! Damn it, where's the fucking purple carpet? I bloody hate mornings.' She stretched in the silent stillness of the morning as she thought to herself. 'Fucking cold fucking stone can go to fucking hell.' She stretched for her other toe as she yawned. 'The god damn stone should be warm with the piss'n fire burning right there.' Bending back as she did her morning stretches.

Vivian's eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth Mollie. It's too early to be cursing like that. Need coffee first."

Selene opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows.

"I didn't hear her say anything." Selene said to a Mollie who had moved on to a new position she was holding for ten seconds.

"Actually Selene, I was thinking it." Mollie said. 'I think we are telepathic or something.' Selene's eyes widened in shock, than her mouth spread into an evil grin.

'I heard you.' Vivian chortled as she sent her own message to her sisters.

'I heard you too! Think of the possibilities with this gift! The money we could make!!' Selene thought as she got out of bed.

'Yeah, let's go join a circus.' Mollie sarcastically snapped as she finished her stretching for the morning.

Pulling up faded jeans, tight dark shirts and leather belts they readied themselves for Dumbledore's meeting. The arch in the wall let them out without a password. They guessed they only needed their names to get into their room, which was fine because it stopped people from invading their privacy. They took down the floo box from the mantelpiece and tossed some in the flickering flames. One by one they walked in, only to stumble out again beside a large bird that was curiously looking at the fireplace.

"Hello Fawkes!" Vivian brushed the ashes off her clothes. Mollie looked around, not even glancing twice at the bird. Dumbledore's office was just as exciting as the books said. Selene greeted the bird who chimed back at her than she started looking around with her sisters. It was Mollie who first found the sorting hat. Just as she started to walk towards it Dumbledore entered the room.

"Good morning, ladies! I trust you slept well?"

"Quite well, sir!" Selene replied walking towards him and shaking his hand. "Except for a really weird dream where everything I touched turned purple."

"We slept as soon as we found our bedroom…"Mollie grumbled. She hadn't had her coffee yet and was not expected to be civil.

"Very good, very good. Care for some tea? Maybe breakfast?" he waved his wand and a rather large breakfast on a large table appeared before them. "Pancakes," Dumbledore said looking over his half moon glasses, "my favorite!" The girls smiled at his grandpa-ish-ness and dug into the strawberries, angel food cake, coffee cake, several types of coffees and teas, and of course the standard eggs and bacon. Screw any diets…this was good food!

Several minutes later, with most of the food gone, they got down to business.

"Ladies, as you know, there is a war going on. Voldemort is getting stronger and the Order of the Phoenix needs to get the upper hand." Mollie nodded as Selene threw in her two cents.

"And we are here because we already know basically what is going to happen for the next," 'um…fourth year, fifth, sixth, seventh'…"four years. And also we're…"

'Don't say telepathic!' Mollie warned. Vivian nodded her agreement.

"We're ready to help the Order and the Wizarding World." Selene finished her sentence and her coffee as Vivian continued.

"Snape said that we might be witches. How come we were never accepted into a School of Witchcraft, or even Hogwarts since we are supposedly British?"

"Mollie, Selene, Vivian," Dumbledore said, looking at all of them in turn. "Where were you when you were 11 years old." Realization dawned on them, the headmaster still continued. "There are no magical detectors in Africa, for one reason or another that is the way it is. There are wizards and witches with governments of their own but they don't keep track of those who are not their own. That is why your parents moved to Africa. They were tired of the war with Voldemort and they wanted to save you from the horrors. So they left everything behind and moved you to someplace where you would not be found."

"It sounds to us like they wanted to save themselves from their family's wrath. So they tucked their tails and ran to America and then left there too." Mollie crossed her arms. "And I doubt that the war was everything they were running from."

Dumbledore just sadly smiled, giving her his sympathy.

"Well, we are witches or else we wouldn't be able to see Hogwarts, or Thestrals, or anything else like that. Right? And we didn't get a letter because no one knew about us. Right?" Vivian inquired.

"Not quite. People knew about us; why else would they have been searching for our parents after cutting them off from the tree." Selene reasoned.

"Actually Vivian is right. Neither the Blacks nor the Wells knew you existed. They only knew of the possibility of your existence." Dumbledore added, sipping his tea as he watched the young ladies.

"We are purebloods." Mollie stated. Dumbledore just nodded.

"That is what the magical families like to call themselves. But no one has pure magical blood because we all originated from two people and only one of them had magic in their blood."

"Really? Adam and Eve? You have got to be joking." Selene said thinking it through. "And we have got to talk about this sometime later because I would LOVE to know more." Dumbledore accepted and proposed having tea together sometime.

"So, what is your version of how you found us?" Mollie asked.

"I was looking for a strong Seer. Using Tralawny I tracked you and sent Severus after you even though we didn't quiet know what he was looking for. The tracking set him down in your softball field. We don't have very many Seers being born these days; our magical blood is wearing thinner. It does not always take pure magical blood to become a strong seer but in your case it has. Even Harry Potter has some of the purest blood in this school while several Slytherins are muggleborn. Ironic isn't it. One of the reasons pureblood is valued so highly in magical communities is that they have more of a chance to see the future, the past or even to talk through minds."

The girls glanced at one another, could they do things they didn't know about? Telepathic Seers, was it even possible?

Dumbledore continued. "Ladies, there is a war going on, as you well know. If the wrong side, Voldemort or the Ministry, knew what was going to happen for the next four years that the entire Wizarding world as we know it would end under their power. It is like a chess game. Yes. This war is like a game of chess. Every side must make its move; some players will have to be sacrificed. But you three know what move every side will make and when. When one side has you, they win. If no sides know your knowledge than things will play out like they are supposed to."

"You don't what to know what we know?" Mollie asked, perplexed.

"Little hints here and there would not be a bad thing." His eyes twinkled. The triplets smiled, that was the first time they had seen his eyes twinkle! It was funny how his little blue eyes lit up like that and actually did sparkle. Must be a magic trick!

"I thought that saving the world was Harry Potter's job!" Vivian blurted out venomously.

"Vivi, we're not here to save the world," Selene reasoned as Dumbledore nodded. "We're just here to stay away from it. Wouldn't old Voldi love it if he knew that his plans to exterminate little Potty keep getting messed with."

"That is an extreme way of putting it, Selene, but yes." Dumbledore stood. "And I would be honored if you three lived at Hogwarts and became my advisors."

Mollie smiled, 'an advisor to the most powerful wizard in this century! Was it possible? Oh! The status!'

'I don't mind!' Vivian thought back to her sisters.

'No sir, I don't mind! Yes! Wow this is sooo… never in my wildest dreams would I be changing the course of Wizarding History!' Selene added.

But Dumbledore had one more thing to add.

"If you say no than you may go back to college and you will never become fully trained witches. Your parents, thanks to Severus, believe you died in a car crash three years ago but no doubt you will be able to start a new life. Your websites, books, and everything else that you cannot connect with while in this world will be returned to you. While one world lives inside of you, the other cannot. This is why no wizard or witch knows about the books. Muggles are unable to talk to us about them either."

"So how did our stuff all of a sudden disappear?"

"Honestly I do not know. No doubt you were exposed to magic for the first time because of Severus. Why it did not happen sooner and how you have not done magic already accidentally I do not know. All will be explained it due time, if you become my advisers."

"We say, Yes. Dumbledore, we will be your advisors and live at Hogwarts, if we are taught how to use our magic abilities…all of them. And if we can join the Order of the Phoenix." Mollie had been elected by her sisters to act as spokeswoman.

'Should we tell him about Harry and the Tri-Wizard Tournament yet?' Vivian asked.

'Sure. I'll tell him since Mollie already did something.' Selene said.

'Fine.' Mollie agreed.

Dumbledore sat back down, watching them quietly communicate back and forth, watching the expressions float from face to face. If he had had daughters they would have been like this. This is why he probably never reproduced.

"Very well than." His spoken voice made them jump a little. "I had been hoping that you would join the Order. You are unfortunately too important and too old to take classes with the students but you will receive proper magical training outside of class time if my professors are willing. Though I may have to ask Remus to come back to do tutorial with you if you don't mind. Alaster Moody, though I trust him, will have his hands full this year so you will not get any teaching form him." They were glad since this wasn't the real Alaster Moody but why tell Dumbledore now?!

"Dumbledore, Harry will also be facing four great tasks this year to almost everyone's surprise." Selene said.

"Really? And who is behind it." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. It was obvious the girls were talking about the tri-wizard tournament. But the tournament only had three tasks, this fourth task made him slightly anxious.

"Who else but Old Voldemort? But fate must take its course." Vivian responded.

"Than I hope he will do admirably well." He sighed.

"Oh he will, and Tom Riddle will get a shocker too!" Selene added.

"Dumbledore, if you are so worried about our secrecy, shouldn't it have been better to take something besides the public Knight Bus?"

"Sometimes the obvious is the best kept secret." He said with a twinkle.

"Can we try on the sorting hat even though we won't live in one of the four houses?" Mollie asked.

"Yes. Now if you will excuse me, ladies, I have to find my Potions Master." He left with a slight bow and a heavy heart.

'Wow, he really does care for Harry Potter. He views him as more than a tool, I wonder if he sees us in that way.' Vivian communicated to her sisters as she followed them over to where the hat was.

'He hasn't really had much time with us to care.' Mollie said. Selene just shrugged.

"Ok" breathlessly Selene took the hat down. " Who first?"

"How about alphabetical order?" spoke the sorting hat in an amused voice. Selene screamed and dropped the hat. She had forgotten that it spoke. Mollie caught it and handed it back to Selene.

Vivian smiled. 'Duh! Of course we do it in alphabetical order! No! I'm last. Again! I'm always last!'

Mollie sat down on the chair as Selene put the hat on her head. "Looks good Mols!" Selene said, watching the hat perch on Mollie's head. Vivian laughed.

"Hmmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm." If hats could smirk this one would be. 'Ambitiousness no doubt, but there is courage! You had many responsibilities at too young an age as the oldest, didn't you? A good mind filled with slyness and cunning. You have loyalty for your sisters but not for much else. Strong headed, stubborn and sometimes irrationally so.'

'Hey!'

'Don't be offended, I'm just saying the truth.'

'I'd rather you lied to me and made me feel better.'

'Would you really?' The hat asked. 'Well, than there is only one place for you.'

"SLYTHERIN"

Snape and Dumbledore stepped into the shadows, waiting to hear the results.

'They are in the corner by the door…DON'T LOOK!' Mollie commanded her sisters.

'Hope they enjoy the show!' thought Selene as she lifted the hat from Mollie's head. Selene sat down in the recently vacated chair. Vivian placed the hat on her head.

Snape stood in the corner beside Dumbledore. 'The eldest Miss. Blackwell is Slytherin. Very interesting.' Mollie smiled as she listened to him, never taking her eyes off Selene. The triplets were getting much better at this "telepathic" thing.

The hat snuggled in deeper on Selene's head.

"Well, well, well, well." 'Very much like your sister. Ambitious, strong, a very strong will. Not very brave though, a minuet fear of the dark. But what a mind! Logic and wit fit for a Ravenclaw and a great hunger for knowledge. Courageous sometimes, Loyal to some extent. Ah…let me dig a little deeper. Sly…a thinker…a reader…a piano player…a prankster… ah. You could be Ravenclaw you know."

"I know. No thank you."

"SLYTHERIN"

Selene got up and Vivian sat down, her apprehension palpable. Mollie gently placed the sorting hat on Vivian's head.

'Ha! You are not very different from you sisters either. Really I know where to place you but I'll will double check just to make sure. A loyalty unseen in your other sisters, you must be the glue of the triplets. Hardworking when you choose to be, yet lazy. You have a hunger for beauty and a thirst for random obsessions that must be filled.'

'such as…' Vivian wondered.

'Such as finding out everything about the Vantrap family.' The hat said as Vivian giggled. Researching that family was fun AND had really annoyed her sisters! (A double bonus) "You're loyalty places you with your sisters."

'It must be' "SLYTHERIN"

The young women glowed with pride and happiness. All three triplets were Slytherins, by choice.

'They worked well together…a team. And all three were Slytherins. How powerful, how dangerous.' Snape thought. Dumbledore glanced over at him, eyebrows raised as he let out a breath and stepped form the shadows. The girls turned around, still smiling and hugging one another. Just because they were Slytherin didn't mean they had to be evil about it. Albus started clapping for them as a genuine smile peaked out over his white beard.

"And now I think a trip to Diagon Alley is in order. Severus, I do believe you have a few things you need to find there as well."

"Diagon Alley"

The triplets floo'd to The Leaky Cauldron, walking in with Snape looming behind them. Their eyes were full of excitement.

'Let them enjoy their innocence.' Snape thought, 'the real work will hit them soon enough.' He unconsciously fingered his left forearm. But the triplets weren't focusing on listening to him; they were too wrapped up in everything else around them.

The small group, led by Severus, went through the empty bar and out into an old courtyard. Selene's baby blue eyes winked at Tom as they walked past. He turned a deep blushing red, his face puffing up a bit as he weakly smiled back. Mollie rolled her eyes and Vivi smacked her as soon as they were out of eyesight. Selene just laughed.

Snape ignored them as he counted the bricks with his wand. Three up…two across…above the dustbin.

'Damn, he looks sexy standing like that.' Mollie thought. Her sister tried not to laugh, but it was a lost cause. He tapped the wall three times with the point of his wand, watching the brick quiver and a small hole appear. He stood back as the archway grew and grew.

"Miss. Blackwell, I'll meet you back here at 1 o'clock sharp for lunch." He left, his black robes billowing out behind him.

"You have a fun time too, Snape!" Mollie called after him as the girls trekked towards a snowy-white building that towered over all the other little shops.

'First stop Gringotts' Mollie thought as she stepped through the almost abandoned cobbled street. Well, it was a work day for everyone who wasn't in school, they reasoned. And it wasn't abandoned exactly. They could see several customers in the shops around them.

'I wonder if our telepathy would be harder to use in crowds of large people or at great distances.' Selene wondered.

'Don't know! We'll have to try!' Mollie responded as they walked up to Gringotts. Goblins in scarlet and gold uniforms guarded the bronze doors.

'Wow, even in a Bank the place reeks of Gryffindor.'

The Goblins bowed as the girls walked inside and up to the goblin at the counter. Vivian scrunched up her face in concentration as she tried to ignore the multitudes of jumbled thoughts coming towards her from all directions. Her sisters had the same weird facial expression on. They stopped for a breather before continuing. Focusing on steady breathing seemed to clear their minds.

"Hello. We've come to take money out of the Blackwell safe." Mollie stated.

"And you are?" The Goblin wrinkled his nose, looking up and down at their muggle clothes.

"Miss. Mollie Blackwell, though it is no place of yours to be asking."

"The Key?"

Mollie looked at her sisters. 'Darn…I forgot about the key.' Selene was at a loss. Vivian looked down at her toes.

'Our whole life ruined because, oh my gosh!' "It's around my neck!" Vivian lifted the chain from around her neck and handed him her mother's tiny golden key. He inspected it closely.

"Very well then, I will have Pollump take you down to your vault. Pollump!"

True to his name Pollump was slightly more rotund than the other goblins around him. The girls followed him towards one of the many doors leading off from the hall. He opened the door for them and bowed as the triplets walked into the narrow stone passageway lit with torches. Rail tracks curved and dived beneath them. Mollie looked at her sisters with excitement.

'Are you ready for a roller coaster ride?' Selene asked with a big grin on her face.

Pollump whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the track towards them. The triplets (and their fat friend) scrambled in and they were off. Hurtling through a maze of twisting passages the girls hooted with delight, lifting their arms to get the full effect as the wind rushed past them.

"Please keep you hands and legs inside the cart." The triplets, still laughing, lowered their arms. Two seconds later they stopped beside one of many small doors in the lower vaults. Pollump stumbled out and was quickly followed by the triplets, eager to see what their parents had left them.

Pollump stuck the key in the lock and turned it. Green smoke from 22 years of uselessness came billowing out as the vault door was pushed open by Pollump's magic. The girls gasped as light hit gallons by the truck loads. Silver sickles and heaps of little bronze knuts lay intermingled everywhere not to mention other things.

"I beg your pardon, my ladies, for not having an organized vault waiting for you." Pollump bowed again. Clapping his hands he sent the piles flying to organize and stack themselves according to type. Gallons with Gallons, Sickles with Sickles, Knuts with Knuts and a large pile of rare jewels, some already bound in jewelry laid themselves in velvet holders on a stone table that hadn't been noticeable before. The girls walked in, as soon as the flying havoc ceased. They had a rather large fortune under here, one that could last for as long as they lived.

"We don't have a bag." Selene quietly huffed.

"My lady, if you would allow me." Selene nodded to Pollump, giving him permission. He walked into the vault, up to the table and picked up three sacs, presenting them to Selene with a bow. Mollie rolled her eyes and picked up the deep green velvet sacs from his outstretched hands, they had silver and green wrapped drawstrings. They Black house emblem on one side and the Wells house emblem on the other.

Vivian, taking her bag, walked up to the table and looked at the diamonds, rubies, sapphires, opals and several other types of precious jewels she didn't recognize.

'They're beautiful! Look at this gold and silver intertwined necklace, with sapphires and little silver leaves.' Vivan reached out to touch it. "It would match your eyes, Selene."

'Don't touch Vivian!' Selene warned. Vivian pulled her hand away, glaring at her sister.

'Why not?'

'You never know what might be hexed.' Mollie reasoned as she placed enough money to last her all year into her small sac that never seemed to be full. 'Ask Pollump what he knows about them.' Vivian nodded and turned towards the goblin standing in the corner.

"Pollump?"

"Yes, my Lady Blackwell."

"What do you know about these jewels?"

"My Lady, the Wells bought out Yerners Leaves, the most appraised jewelry makers for the fine leaves in all their artwork. These are the masterpieces of Yerners Leaves. Notice the intricate work on the snakes surrounding the emeralds here." The triplets looked and saw a matching choker, bracelet, and earrings all made of delicate silver, she could see little gold leaves sprinkled here and there for taste. "My lady, you may pick them up." Vivian did, picking up the silver choker it was not hard silver as she had thought but rather flexible. "Yerners Leaves worked his jewelry so that each had a meaning. The meanings were set down in a little book he had, that is somewhere…" he searched the vault "Ah! Here it is."

'I guess when the Wells bought the store out, they really bought the store out!' Selene thought as she took the book from Pollump.

"Are any of these jewelry pieces hexed to harm or manipulate someone?" Mollie asked, and for some reason Pollump actually looked happier.

"Not yet my lady, but I am at your service for whatever you wish."

"Thank you, Pollump." They each picked a necklace, earrings, and bracelet (Selene took one with an anklet as well) and put them into their bags with the money they had collected for the next year. Looking back at the stone table it didn't even look like they had taken anything, there were six more sets and at least 10 more necklaces. Some necklaces were just a chain with a diamond at the end. Others were almost like a shirt, starting all the way from the top of the neck going down in a V shat to where a really low dress would start. It clasped at the back of the neck and hung, drapping diamonds. A row of sapphires stood out around the neck.

"Do you think we will get in trouble for the Black house crest?" Selene asked.

"I don't think so but you can never be too safe." Mollie answered. "Let's try to keep the emblems hidden, hold it with your palm on it and the other emblem against your leg. Some nasty rumors could be started." They all mounted the cart. "You won't say a word, will you Pollump."

He turned around with a happily look on his face that was quite frightening in reality but they could sense that he would be jumping up and down for joy if it wasn't beneath his dignity. "Of course not, my Lady. I belong to the Wells. Why do you think I was there to escort you and not some lower ranking goblin? I am in the First Rank, we do not normally escort. If you need anything I will gladly help you. I have always honored and respected the noblest house of Wells." He bowed again.

The cart started and took them on another roller coaster ride. On their way back up they were quiet as the pondered the goblins services. Did they have other connections they did not know about? The cart stopped at a different door and they stepped on the platform. Pollump stepped out beside them.

"My ladies." Expectancy in his voice made them turn around.

"Yes." Were they supposed to tip him?

"My ladies, when the Wells left they gave me these." He pulled out four rings and at the triplets confused expressions explained. "They are a way of communicating with me and your other contacts. The Wells seal on the three of them was used to sign letters," he turned the top and instead of a jewel the wells seal, a blackbird with wings up, appeared. "This side," he turned it again to a blank black side, "can call to someone else who wears the same ring. You put the ring on, channel a bit of magic through it, think of them, and their ring will heat up. I have been waiting so long for this day."

The girls took the rings and put them on. Mollie, turning hers to the black side thought of Pollump, she felt a tingling in her own finger as magic stole into the ring.

'Hello Pollump.' She thought. He jumped.

"I have felt the heat of the ring before, but never did it speak to me."

"Well, then that is our new way of communicating with you. You will hear from us again." And they walked out into the almost noon sun, holding more money than their poor college lives had ever offered. Pollump bowed to their retreating figures, it was good to be back in business. He fingered his ring lovingly.

'New clothes first!' Vivian thought 'Did you see the way that goblin at the desk was looking at us?' Her sisters nodded in agreement, muggle clothing wasn't approved of in the Wizarding world. They smiled as they walked towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. This was the life. With a bag full of money and a future ahead of them there was nothing stopping their happiness. Besides, they were 21, what could go wrong!

Madam Malkin, squat and smiling, met them at the door.

"I normally don't get customers this early in the summer. What will it be dears?" They explained their situation (some of it, at least), well, the part about not being able to come back to Diagon Alley for some time and that money was not a problem. Madam Malkin eyed their muggle clothes with contempt.

"Step up here my dears!" She gestured to three footstools standing in the middle of a circle of mirrors. "You will need entire wardrobes no doubt: something classy, dressy, new, and flowing. This will be fun!" She measured the girls up and down, her hand on her chin as she scrutinized their figures. "Nicetta! Charlyn! Sherri!" She clapped her hands "We have costumers!" Three small witches scurried out of the back rooms at Madame Malkins' shout.

"Nicetta, you take Miss. Mollie who needs seven full outfits. Please remember to keep her measurements as these young ladies will not be able to come back for a while. Try medium dark colors for underneath such as a forest green, maybe a darker blue summer dress, a lighter pink casual dress, and a black outfit. You know my moto for women. 'If it is black, make it lace!'"

Nicetta's pen was furiously copying everything Madame Malkin said. Her head bounced up and down, a smile on her face and her eyes shinning. "She needs two over robes, one a rich black and the other a dark green. Also fit her into a cape, try the older elegant styles on her. Oh! And two more robes made of lighter materials for in house wear. Miss. Mollie is the classic style, an ordered woman that knows what she's made of, make her clothes that way. For her have either two slivers of straps or a small sleeve on her dresses. And for the forest green, give her a full length, with sleeves that drap as they go down. That's fashion!"

All seven girls were positively giddy!

"Charlyn!" She snapped to attention. "This is Miss. Selene. Also seven full outfits. Everything! And find her suitable underclothes too. These girls need no pushup bras." Madame Malkin fixed her other helpers with her eyes. "Did everyone here that? They are large enough, if it looks like more than a handful…" She grinned. "Charlyn, dear, her eyes are blue so try a sky blue summer dress…You three are so alike it is going to be hard to find different styles to dress you in."

"I'm sure you will do a wonderful job whatever you chose, Madame Malkin!" Vivian responded. "Besides, we don't mind looking too much alike! We've been matching all our life!"

"Ah, but not the eyes, my dear Vivian. There are differences in personality too. Back to Charlyn. Try Crimson, any red will work on Selene. Darker Greens would work too but try a few more blue dresses on her as well. I want those eyes to pop! Don't cover too much skin. Fashion is making dresses shorter now, so try the newer styles on Miss. Selene! Oh and off the sleave sholders on a black dress for her. Give her a pastel pink dress too and make it flirty. Two rich women's robes, black and the darkest blue we have. One Cape and two see-through indoor robes for her, just like what Miss. Mollie is getting fitted to her." Charlyn nodded and started on Selene.

"Sherri!" She stood ready beside Vivian. "This is Miss. Vivian. Seven outfits for her as well. Styles say brown though I think it's ugly, add a light pink to it and she will be gorgeous. She is a classy one. Let's see, go for a delicate pink as well as a faded orange. I want a deep red flounce dress that reminds me of Marilyn Monroe and an auburn one. Try some other greens on her as well. Two robes, the rich black and a dark maroon. Two more inside robes made of the lighter material. And one black cape for winter wears." She nodded her head in satisfaction. "Oh, and make them all bath robes."

"Marilyn Monroe?" Vivian asked.

"Famous witch, haven't you heard of her?" Madame Malkin asked. Vivian smiled and nodded.

Sherri finished her note taking and went to collect the cloth just as Charlyn came back with armloads of cloth floating behind her for Selene. Mollie already had her first dress on and being fitted.

"I hope you like the colors. Your skin has an olive tone to it, but it isn't too dark thankfully. You will be beautifully pale after your first winter here." She smiled at them while her girls worked, talking to them about style in the magical world and different ways to put their hair up. She was going to perfect these young women.

Almost one o'clock, the triplets walked out of Madame Malkin's Shop with outfits and robes on, the rest in bags. Madame Malkin had given them each a list of beauty spells that would take the place of the muggle make-up they wore. They were on cloud nine and they hadn't even gotten their wands yet.

After much discussion they had decided to get formals for the Tri-Wizard Ball later on in the year, if Dumbledore allowed them to go at all! They walked into the Leaky Cauldron and sat down next to Snape just as the clock stuck one.

"How was Knockturn, Mr. Snape?" Mollie innocently asked. He had been hoping for an excuse to yell at something, but they would apparently not be the outlet he was looking for. His trip to restock his potions supplies had gone quiet haywire actually. Avery and Nott, former Death Eaters had cornered him about his loyalties. As much as those two were dunderheads it had taken a lot of his oiliness to slip out of that situation. The girls felt his anger and they all ate a quiet lunch as far away from the fire as possible. It was already becoming a warm June day.

Back down Diogon Alley, all four robes billowing in the summer brease, the triplets felt like Charlies Angels! The "outfits" had turned out in all different styles. The lighter greens, blues, and pinks meant for summer were forced on them at Madam Malkins. They were all cut a lot shorter than the knees, slightly pleated to give it a fuller look and very flouncy. Their summer dresses were clinging to the right places and slightly scandalous with open backs. They wore their robes over them. All of their outfits were charmed to dress the person it was made for. Useful since these ones had straps and other pieces of cloth going every which way.

First stop, Flourish and Blotts, where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books, all kinds and sizes of large books. From books with leather binding, to books with odd symbols and books as tiny as a thumbnail. There were even some books that looked normal enough to buy!

Dumbledore had given them quite the list! Not only were they meant to buy books up to the 7th year curriculum but he had also given them some other names just for extra reading and research. Mollie looked down at the list she carried, the others hadn't even bothered to tell her to hold it for them. They just already knew she would take care of the list, she was the eldest after all.

Selene moved dreamily around the stacks. She loved books, she loved to read, she wandered towards the school books and started searching as Mollie and Vivian knelt down beside her. Snape had joined them on the second half of their Diagon Trip. He stood behind them and watched for a second before grabbing The Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk, all of the grades, and lowering them to the floor beside Mollie.

"Being helpful?" Vivian asked. Selene smirked at him; this side of Snape wasn't portrayed in the Books. Harry had not seen everything about him.

"If you would rather I left Miss. Blackwell…"

"It's Mollie and we don't mind if you stay." Mollie interrupted him. He nodded. 'Don't raise his hackles! Vivian! What were you thinking being all sarcastic…I thought you hated sarcasm?'

'Mols! She didn't mean to make him want to leave…she was just joking with him! Calm down sweets!' Selene butted in.

'Give Snape the smile. It will make it all better.' Vivian added, her defenses up. 'Besides now he'll like you better than me anyways!' So Mollie took her advice. Mollie gave him a winning smile, flipping her hair at the same time, a rather confused (but not showing it) Snape cleared his throat and went back to searching for books.

The triplets continued to search for all the books on their list, and some not on their list. They ended up with Magical Theory by Adalbert Confux, which really was just a bunch of long essays explaining why things did what and some possible theories that had never been tested. A History of Magic textbook by Bathilda Bagshot, quite a few books of Magical Herbs and Fungi, Snape had insisted. They all grabbed for the Dark Magic Against the Dark Arts by Willaby Wisps, which was not on their list. A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration all the way to Advanced Transfiguration, both by Emeric Switch and several more books of Potions that Snape thrust their way. Not to mention How To Make Redecoration A Spell by Throt L. Purple. They also got their books for their Charms classes, and a Flying Rules by Ima Firefly. Oh, you can't forget all eleven books in the Encyclopedia of Potions and Poisons by Robert Rye! They also found several books on Magical Creatures called All Sorts, All Sizes, All Wonders by Riddle Menot.

The triplets felt like they should start their own Library as they walked out of Fourish and Bloots. As they were paying Selene added Curses and Counter-Curses by Vindictus Viridion and To Be or Not to Be: How to Become an Anamagus by Fliny Floxworth.

"Might be useful." Was all she said. 'Hey! If we are going to start our own library we might as well make it a good one!'

Snape sneered a small bit but agreed to levitate their books to follow behind them. They made their way down the street and stopped inside a shop selling baskets and book bags. Snape stayed outside. They walked in unnoticed, the man behind the counter grumbling. They could tell something was wrong, massively fishy; they focused in on his mind.

'Damn Authorities. They can bloody well go to hell! If my Lord were back he would put an end to all of this bloody nonsensical nonsense. Want to know if I have flying carpets! Bloody Hell! Reported Abuse! Bloody Hell! I weaseled my way out of that. Too bad I got the bloody upper hand with those Bottomless Sacs. Bloody H…'

Mollie approached the counter.

"Sir?"

"Hello, pretty little miss. Everything's cheap in here!" She ignored the connotation and continued.

"We need something to fit a hell of a lot of stuff in." Mollie replied. They were still carrying around all the things from Madam Malkin, including their piles and piles of books. The old man grunted.

"Maybe a nice bookbag, this one is made of dragon hide." She frowned.

"No, it's fake leather. Besides, we need something small that can hold a lot of large objects." She leaned against the counter.

"I don't keep those in stock…" he cleared his throat and started to whisper. "I have five of those, but their expensive, rare and I don't feel like selling to you unless..."

"How expensive are these Bottomless Purses of yours?"

"It's going to cost you a pretty amount, deary, and I doubt you'll like it."

"How much." She was getting pretty ticked at this guy's impertinence.

"How about 600 gallons and a fun time with me." Mollie, her temper rising, slapped him and stormed out of the shop, afraid she would do too much damage if she stayed.

The shopkeeper laughed as he watched her go and he continued his grumbling, he shouldn't have told her he had bottomless purses.

Snape eyed them suspiciously as they left down the street. Mollie had been ranting and raving, now she was almost happy.

He watched as the Triplets stopped just around the corner of the shop. Mollie grabbed her sisters hands and all three honed in on the shop keepers mind.

'You bastard.' She said. All laughed as they felt how the man jumped, an evil sadistic laugh of revenge. Snape knew it well as he watched them, eyes narrowed as they continued pummeling the shop keeper. 'You are evil. Bastard. Bastard. You don't deserve to live, you beat your wife. Awful husband. You beat her often. You are an evil man. You don't deserve to live.' All three repeated, getting louder and louder inside the man's head.

"Stop." They heard him scream over and over again as he fell to his knees.

'We can keep this up all your life. You evil bastard. Never call me whore. We hate you and your kind. I hate being called whore. You bastard.' Vivian repeated with her sisters. This had happened one too many times for all of them.

"Avada K-" All three left his mind just as he finished those cursed words. They stood in shock, looking at one another.

"Did he just…?" Mollie asked out loud. Snape continued watching them, his eyes narrowed.

"I think he just did." Selene whispered back.

"Someone should check." Vivian added, quietly. But they all stood rooted to the spot. They hadn't meant to kill him…or for him to commit suicide.

Snape got the jist and looked inside one of the dusty windows to see a man sprawled on the floor, wand in hand. His face looked etched out of stone.

'I'm calling Pollump.' Mollie said as she turned her ring and channeled a bit of magic into it. 'Pollump.'

'Yes? Lady Blackwell? I am at your service.'

'I have a situation here. A dead shop keeper to be more precise, he committed suicide.'

'Very good, my lady. I will send a creature over to take care of him and alert your Ministry contact to file a full report of his…demise.'

'I will contact you with instruction for the care of his wife shortly.'

'Very good, my lady, you are so gracious to think of his wife.'

Snape stalked over to Mollie and grabbed her hand to look at her ring. He dropped her hand as he was flung across the alleyway to hit the other building.

"Pardon me, my lovely Ladies, for letting scum touch you." A huge monster bowed before the stunned triplets as confused jumbled thoughts of a half human hit them. It had a human like head and a lion's body. They could see its scorpion like tail swishing back and forth. "I am Antioch, your devoted Manticore. I will never forget the grace you have shown me." It smiled, revealing three rows of razor sharp teeth.

"Thank you, Antioch. The human is in this shop." Mollie said, trying to remember what she had read about Manticore's on hp-lexicon. It bowed again, very deeply, and in one moment it had entered the shop, devoured the unfortunate shop keeper completely, clothes included, and left. Snape was sizzling but calmed down significantly as they kept walking down Diagon Alley.

After buying parchment and quills they headed towards the apothecary's. Snape decided right there that these girls really were going to be a force to be reckoned with, unless he could mold them. It was time to get them a tutor but he would wait for the opportune moment until he could force it down their throats without them gagging.

They bought three basic potions ingredients and three pewter cauldrons from the smelly, oddly scary shop keeper. They would buy the gold and the silver cauldrons later, in different sizes. Once they had their own potions lab, that is. Their talk of the future almost erased the awful feeling and shock they had received from the shop keeper's death and the Manticore.

The triplets were getting closer to their wands. Their excitement was contagious, but first they had to get an animal. Well, they didn't have to get one, but owls were damn useful and would be a distraction from living with each other.

First stop was in Finduses Magical Felines where Vivian was in heaven searching for the right cat to take home. Selene, normally allergic to cats was wondrously unaffected by magical cats to everyone's delight. Vivian, picking up a pure black tom cat found her own eyes looking back at her.

"I'll take this one."

"They'll be a perfect match," Mollie whispered sarcastically in Selene's ear as she left for the Eeylops Owl Emporium. Snape snorted quietly and followed her out.

"Ready to get your owl?" Vivian asked Selene who nodded with a big grin on her face. Locking arms they walked across the street. It was turning into a terribly hot June day. Selene looked at the Quiddich store and suddenly stopped in the street.

'THE QUIDDICH WORLD CUP! We forgot all about it!' She shouted the message to her sisters.

Inside the store Mollie gasped, Snape turned around and looked at her.

"What?" He demanded harshly, he would have shooken her but the Owl Keeper was already watching them since it was such a lazy day and they were the only ones moving.

"Selene just reminded us that the Quiddich World Cup is this summer." Mollie said. Snape blinked and looked away utterly unenthused.

'What a stupid thing to get all excited about.' He looked out of the door and saw the brown eyed and the blue eyed triplets come towards the Owelry.

"I'll think I'll choose this one." Mollie said, the snowy owl flew down to her arm. "You're beautiful. What should we call you?" Selene and Vivian came walking in.

"I'm naming my cat Storm!" Mollie smiled at Vivian's outburst.

"Um think I'm going to name this beauty here Tara, after the goddess of the stars." Mollie said as Selene walked up and pet Tara, who was gently nibbling at Mollie's fingers.

"I think Tara and I will get along fine," said Selene, "since I'm the goddess of the moon." Vivian kept a tight hold on Storm, fearing he'd upset the owls, but nothing of that sort happened.

"Do you have an owl Snape?" Mollie inquired.

"No." he drawled.

"What do you have?" Selene asked.

"I have a Great Raven." The girls just nodded, it was better than a bat, and had a lot more status then an owl too.

Selene started looking around for an owl as Mollie chose her cage. Selene found a young, but large brown owl soon enough that looked like it could put up with her and the rest of the world all by itself.

"I think I'll name him Czar, don't ask me why." Selene said. "Do you like that name?" She asked the owl, it hooted for her and strutted around her arm.

"Why?" Mollie asked, batting her eyes. Selene just glared at her.

"Because she felt like it you dork." Vivian butted it, smiling her own smile at her sister.

Last stop: Ollivandars.

A magic wand. It sounded straight from a fairy tale. The Blackwell Triplets and Snape walked into the narrow, shabby shop. A tinkling bell sounded somewhere in the depths of the shop. As they walked forward two large pale eyes glided towards them from the back.

"Good Afternoon," said a soft voice that eyed the girls coolly.

"Mr. Ollivandar." Snape replied, breaking the shop keepers stare. "May I present Mollie, Selene, and Vivian …Blackwell." They curtsied together, not too deep or low and no bowing of the head. It seemed like the safest thing to do. The sides of Snape's mouth twitched. He could tell that they had done some rapid communication; otherwise they couldn't have curtsied at the same time.

"And you have come for your first wand." It wasn't a question. He was about to ask which wanted to go first when Mollie stepped up, their conversation had gone something like this:

'Youngest to Oldest!' Vivian thought, 'I want a wand!'

'We all do, Vivi.' Selene answered. 'And I don't care because I'm in the middle anyways. Besides, Oldest to Youngest is normal. Or we could even do Alphabetical Order, like the sorting hat.'

'I say Oldest to Youngest,' Mollie said.

'Let's break tradition!' Vivian was exasperated. 'Why am I always last?'

'It's how you were born, sweetheart.' Mollie stated as she stepped up to Mr. Ollivander. He pulled out of his pocked a long tape measurer with silver markings. Mollie stuck out her right arm.

Snape, from his spot in the only chair, watched with hidden fascination and not very hidden anger that they had indirectly killed someone in their first day in the Wizarding World. His facial expression marked him as annoyed but inside his mind was forever turning. These girls knew if he was going to survive this war, they knew who was going to die and how. Yet they were still able to act like first years at Christmas time even though they were twenty-one. He made sure to use his Occlumency while thinking in here around them. He had figured out in the Owelry that Mollie couldn't hear him think when he was Occluing. He had even called her some 'pretty mean stuff' (as the triplets would say) and she hadn't even batted an eye.

He knew that these girls were seers; only those with a very, very strong 'Inner Eye' could be telepathic. At the dinner table, in their parent's house in Senegal, Mollie had asked to see his Dark Mark. Her question hadn't left any room for argument and her sisters had looked so persistent that he had shown them. He had felt totally exposed, he remembered repressing a shudder. Only Dumbledore had ever made him feel that naked. The fact that these girls were fourteen years younger only made him feel worse. And still after that they had followed him and trusted him. Accepted him as an escort to Diagon Alley and then asked him to stay in the bookshop. He was thoroughly angry with them now, when were they going to start hating him like the rest of mankind should?

"That will do." Mr. Ollivander said and the tape measure fell on the floor. Mollie rubbed her nose, that _thing_ had almost smacked her while trying to measure between her nostrils. Mr. Ollivandar handed Mollie a wand, she glanced back at her sisters who backed away form her as far as possible. She smirked at them. Still it was a good precaution because as soon as she waved it around the wand boxes the top shelf all came tumbling down. Mr. Ollivandar grabbed the wand from her. "That will not do."

"Dragon heartstring is not for you, my dear. But let's try this: 10.5 inches, strong Mahogany wood and a unicorn tail. A lot like your grandfathers. Excellent for charms work, that is the unicorn tail playing in." She swished and flicked and one of the many wand boxes soared into the air, hitting the ceiling and landing on the ground with a thump. "Do you know the words to go with that movement?" Mr. Ollivander asked. Mollie nodded.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Selene and Vivian smiled as the box irradically followed their sisters every movement and finally dropped from her control.

"Miss. Blackwell, I think you've found your wand." Snape stated. He was basically telling her: Let your sisters find their wands so we can leave ASAP!

"She may have…" Ollivander said with a slight frown on his face.

Selene stepped up to bat, letting the measuring tape do its thing.

"Mahogany Wood, seven and a quarter inches, a unicorn tail like your sister." Selene gave it a wave, the front window burst into a thousand pieces. Showering the front pavement with tiny shards of glass. Mr. Ollivander took that one from her and went searching down another isle. Coming back with a larger box.

"Oak, such as the one you have Severus." Severus nodded. "11 inches and dragon heartstring. Decent for transfiguration but very powerful in Dark Arts." She waved it and little tropical birds when flying out the open window.

"REPARO!" Selene shouted and the glass flew back into place, like a movie in reverse, quite entertaining really!

'Stop showing off Selene, my turn!' Vivian stepped forward, the measuring rod whistling around her. Mr. Ollivander chuckled deeply and softly yet the frown did not leave his eyes.

"Your measurements are all the same, except for your noses." He said to her.

"What does that mean?" Vivian asked.

"It means that your temperaments are different, which greatly affects which wand chooses you." The girls were, in fact, looked like exact copies of one another except for Vivian's slightly curlier hair. It was almost scary.

Vivian just smiled as Mr. Ollivander brought her a wand. "Let's see if I can get this right on the first try." He smiled back at her. "Willow Bark, 11 and three quarter inches, phoenix tail feather. Flexible, wonderful at charms and old magic but may start a few fires. Give it a wave!"

Needless to say, Vivian gave it a wave and, to Mr. Ollivander's delight, red hot sparks came shooting out of it. A small fire started on the hem of a fuming Snape. The girls quickly paid their gallons.

"Snape, I believe these ladies need to be checked out by the headmaster and by Madame Pomfrey." Ollivander said quietly to Snape who had finished putting out his little fire.

"Are we sick?" Mollie asked.

"Not exactly, Miss Blackwell." Ollivander said as he walked down the long corridor of wands and disappeared into the back.

Very confused they headed towards the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to Dumbledore's office.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: HP characters belong to J.K.Rowlings, as does some of the general story line. The Blackwell Triplets belong to my sisters and I. I make no money off these chapters.**_

_**A Three-Braided Cord**_

_**Chapter Three: Meetings of Mischief**_

Dumbledore was sad, you could tell since his hat sagged. He was unsure of how the triplets would take to the conditions he had for them. They were so young and innocent. Unless they could find a reason, or a way, they would have to sacrifice the next four years of their lives.

He watched the green flames spurt to live as the Diagon party stumbled into his office. People could not normally floo inside Hogwarts, for security reasons, but this network to the Leaky Cauldron was just set for today and would disappear in less than half an hour.

Snape came last, his scowl deeper than when he had left and his robe still smoking. Mollie glanced over at the Potions Master, instantly reprimanding herself for consistently doing so. He wasn't even good looking!

'Looks like all day shopping isn't a specialty of his!' The girls tried to smile. They knew they were going to get pounded for what happened today.

"Ah! Mollie, Selene and Vivian! How was Diagon Alley?" Dumbledore led them to a small table with five chairs. "Tea? Biscuits? Lemon Meringue Pie?" He looked at them expectantly.

"Coffee please, and some Lemon Meringue Pie if you don't mind." Mollie spoke all their wishes.

Snape raised a high dark eyebrow at them as Dumbledore handed him a strong cup of tea.

"Yes Snape. Coffee. You Brits drink too much tea for you own good, makes your teeth yellow. Fortunately, we Americans realized this and threw the tea off the ships and picked up South America's wonderful tradition of coffee!" Selene, finishing her rampage about the British and picked up the cup Dumbledore offered her. 'Um, is that cinnamon?' Vivian smelled her own with relish and started answering Dumbledore's questions about their outing.

"I do hope you realize, Miss. Blackwell, that you are indeed British." Snape's voice was silkily menacing. He hadn't had the best of days.

"Our parents were British but we were born on American soil." Mollie retorted. Then, the fatal question addressed them all as Dumbledore clapped his hands.

"Ladies, how do you like your rooms?"

'He'll get that twinkle if we lie. I say we tell the truth.' Vivan thought, looking down into her empty coffee mug.

'I hope he isn't insulted. I would hate to insult our employer.' Selene thought. 'Truth is good though, you speak Mollie.'

'ok…' Mollie breathed in. "Do you mind, Sir, if we rip it apart and put it back together? No offense, but purple has never really been our color."

'Oh that was kind!' a sarcastic Selene thought.

"I had expected just as much, actually I had hoped for it! No doubt you will need some help adding on extra rooms but I expect all of you to put your magic together and create something you can live in for the next four years without getting bored." His eyes twinkled at them from behind half-moon spectacles, laughing at them. He nodded, as his eyes turned sad again. "There are actually some complications to your staying here, ladies. None of the students will be allowed to see you on any regular basis and only few of the teachers. This is you're your own safety until you are fully trained and able to fend for yourselves."

"So we are to be locked in our rooms or at number twelve Grimmauld Place until you come for information, with which we will defeat the Dark Lord." Mollie stated. He nodded.

"So on a lighter note, how do we defeat Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked. The girls smiled sadly, minds racing. Should they really tell him? They decided not to.

"Love conquers all, Dumbledore." Vivian said, giggling slightly. 'I can just see it now, The Dark Lord conquered by a Cheering Charm!'

"Ah, and one more thing ladies. That was your first and last trip to Diagon Alley for the next four years. If you need anything else you can send an owl or ask one of us to pick you up something."

"The next four years." Selene mumbled under her breath. It seemed like such a long time.

"There are dangers, Miss Blackwell. This is for your own safety. If you were captured and forced to talk, well, the Dark Lord has many ways to make you talk." The girls knew all too well the methods of the Dark Lord, they had read their fair share of DarkArts FanFictions. Snape watched their shivers with a cold calculating curiosity.

"We know." Mollie answered Snape, than addressed the Headmaster. "Thank you, Sir, for giving us free reign over our quarters. Who are the teachers that will know of us?"

"What about the 'golden trio'?" Vivian asked.

"Harry is going to be ticked off if you keep another secret from him." Selene added. The old wizard smiled at their inquisitiveness.

"All the order and those of the staff who are tutoring you will know of you. And yes, I think we should tell Harry, Hermione and Ron, but not yet."

"Understood." Selene said. Snape still sat in the corner sipping his tea.

'Should we tell him about Moody?' Mollie looked at Selene and nodded. Vivian quirked as she answered her sister.

'The fake Mad-Eye, oh that will go over well. Sure, let's tell him.'

'Ok, you tell him Selene.' Mollie looked at her sister expectantly.

'No way, Mollie! You tell him, you're the brave one!' Selene retorted.

'Fine!' "Um, Professor Dumbledore. You've put Moody as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, no?" Dumbledore nodded.

"Is there a problem with this, ladies?" Snape didn't look up from his teacup but they could tell he was listening more intently.

"Has Moody had any trouble with his trashcans recently?" Albus smiled and nodded again. "Ok, that settles it. This 'Moody' you have hired is keeping the real Moody as prisoner in his suitcase and is impersonating him through a Polyjuice Potion. A Death Eater named Barty Crouch Jr. will be teaching at your school this year. But you should do nothing about it until he does something that the real Moody would NEVER EVER do. Just…act normal." They could all hear the "Just thought you should know!" attached to the end of her voice. Dumbledore was silent, as was a wide-eyed Snape. The triplets couldn't even read his thoughts as they stood up to go.

"Lemon Drop?" Selene asked as she handed the dumb struck Dumbledore a little yellow candy.

"WAIT!" Snape commanded. The triplets turned around from where they had been about to enter the fireplace to go back to their quarters. "Headmaster there was a death in Diagon Alley today and it was caused by these three. I propose we extract their knowledge and get rid of them at once. They aren't safe."

"A death, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"It really wasn't our fault! The man AK'd himself!" Mollie spoke in their defense.

"They called a Manticore…" Severus tried to continue as Dumbledore cut him off.

"Let the ladies speak for themselves." Dumbledore said quietly. "Tell me about this death and this Manticore, ladies."

Shivering with a sudden chill Mollie spoke for the triplets about most of what happened at Gringotts with Pollump and their own surprise at the Manticore. After they admitted to being telepathic or whatever they were Dumbledore ushered them off to their rooms with assurance that they would be safe here from strange creatures and that Snape would do no such thing as retrieve their knowledge and leave them be.

The next morning the triplets sat in their rooms, staring at each other as the windows shown brighter and brighter as the sun reflected off the lake. Storm was purring happily on the windowsill, bathing itself in the fake sunlight. Once and a while you could see a flicker of emotion cross one of the young women's faces, one would giggle or throw her hands up into the air in frustration. And so they sat, for most of the morning.

'This is going to be difficult.' Selene thought, her eyes tired and frustrated. 'I think we sprung Moody on him too fast.' They had never really wanted to join the horrors of this world, there would be no shielding them, as much as Dumbledore wanted.

'Dumbledore doesn't even know he's going to die in three years! And Sirius in two years and Ceddrick this year and many, many, many more families that J.K.Rowlings never even mentioned in her books! Didn't help that some guy AK'd himself because of us yesterday.' Vivian wiped away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.

'Why are we doing this!' Mollie persisted. 'It doesn't matter to us! It won't affect us! We could just write Dumbledore a letter telling him what's going to happen, take our money and be free. We could even get Snape to rearrange our memories.'

'No.' Selene and Vivian refused.

'What! What if…' Mollie tried.

'We can't do what our parents did in this world's time of need. And they were not nearly as important to this world. Mollie, we have to make sure as many people live as possible.' Selene nodded her head to Vivian's' words.

'But…' Mollie started.

'Running is not the answer. Although in my opinion hiding is not the answer either, but I would rather hide and be safe than run and be tortured to death.' Selene said.

'This is going to be difficult.' Mollie finally said. 'We have no clue how much to expose, how much to use our strength. Damn it! We don't even know what strength we have! And it's not my job to go around saving people. We have to look after ourselves. Right?' a pause 'Sisters?'

'Our job now is to save others. I'm not too brave but we have to look after others, as unimportant as they may seem.' Selene shook her head.

'Your right, we may not be able to save Ceddrick this year, but if we stick together than we may be able to save others…maybe even Dumbledore…maybe even Snape.' Vivian said.

'maybe even Sirius.' Selene added.

'Ok, so de we agree that we are here to stop Voldemort from making too much damage?' Mollie asked. 'Wait! Scratch that. Let Voldemort create the damage. When you pay a higher price the gift seems so much greater, right? We cannot shield the Ministry of Magic from the wrath of the Dark Lord.' Selene smiled an evil grin along with Mollie.

'Too true, too true! The Ministry must know that he is here and quite alive.'

'I like it!' Vivian added. 'Let power boy kill the old fart! We are going to make this war history!'

'Battles can be won or lost, it is the wars that are remembered forever and the generals that won those wars that are hailed as heroes forever.' Mollie said. 'But we should take a loyalty oath so that we can't trick or lie to one another as a safety precaution only. I really do trust my sisters, but what if someone tried to get us to lie to one another. That would mess a lot of things up. We can't afford to be mad at one another; we have a war to win.'

'What's a loyalty oath?' Vivian was totally lost.

'A loyalty oath,' Selene explained, 'like a wizard's oath, is a promise between two or more people, three in our case, to remain truthful and loyal until death. After we say the words we are servants to each other and to no one else. It doesn't require wands because they are frivolous things, it goes deeper, into the blood and the vary core of the magic that flows in our veins. I read all about it in one of the books we bought.'

Vivian rolled her eyes, 'always the book worm' as Selene continued. 'I then showed it to Mollie so she could think of something to use it for. It's in the living room. I'll go get it.'

They spent the next hour searching through their big piles in their purple living room. The dresses and robes they hung up in their huge three sectioned wardrobe in their room. Speaking their name each time before entering became tedious. The arch in the wall finally got the picture and just kept itself open as they continued to go back and forth.

Their animals were already flying around; Storm was still on the window sill taking a nap. Tara had found a nice small perch above one of the windows in their bedroom. Czar, true to his name had found the highest, mightiest piece of furniture, the wooden wardrobe, and landed on top. He sat from his watchtower, hooting to an excited Tara as the triplets loaded their room.

Vivian, reading the third-year spell book intently, made the list of beauty spells from Madame Malkin waterproof and, studying the four-year spell book, put a sticking charm on the back and stuck it to the wall. She was quite proud of herself.

'Found it!' Selene cried out. It was getting towards noon and they already were tired as they cracked the book open to take a look. 'It was on page 207, wasn't it?' Mollie shrugged. 'The Oath of Loyalty, page 207. Yes!' Selene started directing her sisters to their places.

'We're going to need a knife, then we need to eat and drink something together. Unhunh…and we need to say some gibberish together, than that's about it.'

'I've got a swiss Army knife that can cut into skin. I'll go get it.' Mollie stumbled up and ran towards their muggle trunks in their bedroom.

'I'll get the food.' Vivian volunteered, followed Mollie, and reached in Mollie's trunk to take out a jar of chocolate syrup and in Selene's to get a Kit Kat bar. Vivian wasn't a big chocolate person but the other two were.

'Chocolate!' Mollie reached for it with glee.

'Chocolate…' Selene echoed. 'It says here that it doesn't really matter what you eat or drink but different foods bring stronger or happier loyalties.'

'And since chocolate lifts your spirits, especially around Dementors than it's got to be great!' Mollie reasoned. Vivian laughed at her enthusiasm.

'Right, let's sit in a circle. Or in our case a triangle.' Selene directed. 'First it says to reveal the truth and forgive. Do any of us have any secrets we are hiding?'

'I have a big crush on Lucius Malfoy.' Mollie said. They all cracked up!

'Lucius! Mols, are you serious!!' Vivian grabbed for Selene, trying to stop laughing. 'I can only picture Lucius with Miss. Piggy hair, and that is just wrong.'

'Shut Up! I didn't say my attractions had to be justified! What about you guys, any secrets?' Mollie asked, frowning. Vivian nodded.

'I almost had sex with your ex Jimmy James once. Nothing happened and we were both pretty drunk. I'm practically sworn off boys now.'

'Wow Viv, that's pretty serious. So that's why you said no to J.M. Morris! I thought it was just because he was a big jerk that was full of himself.' Selene said.

'I forgive you, Viv. Actually I'm more sorry for you. He was a lousy git. They both are really.' Mollie said, lightly punching her sister. 'Selene, what about you?'

'None that I know of. Oh, yeah. I was the one that pulled the prank on cousin Jed. I didn't know it would give his mother a heart attack! It's a good thing she lived or I would have never forgiven myself even though he really isn't our cousin now.'

'You did that!' Vivian asked, shocked.

'You never told us!' Mollie yelled, equally shocked.

'I felt too bad! I couldn't have you guys looking at me like I was some sort of killer!' Selene quietly responded.

'You're not! We all aren't killers. Things just happen beyond our control.' Vivian said.

'We forgive you this time, but let us join you next time!' Mollie added. 'Ok. Anything else we need to share?' They shook their heads. 'Ok than, Sel, tell us what to do.'

'Next we are to do the eating and drinking thing. But it says that we have to pick a time limit for this oath. Like, until death do us part, or until five years have past or something like that.'

'How about until Voldemort is dead?' Vivian suggested.

'I like it.' Mollie agreed. 'But let's use the name Tom Riddle.'

'But Tom Riddle is already dead, let's use Voldemort.' Selene suggested, they nodded.

'First we each take a bite of the Kit Kat. Saying: I, Selene, will be of one flesh with, (insert the other two names), Mollie and Vivian, never to physically harm them with hatred on my hands until Voldimort is defeated.' She took a bite and passed the Kit Kat on to Mollie.

'I, Mollie, will be of one flesh with Selene and Vivian, never to physically harm them with hatred on my hands but to look after and care for them until Voldemort is defeated.' She took a bite and passed it on to Vivian.

'I, Vivian, will be of one flesh with Mollie and Selene, never to physically harm them with hatred on my hands but to look after and care for them until Voldemort is defeated.' She took the last bite. 'What does that mean?'

'No clue.' Mollie said shrugging, 'but it sounds cool even though it is just in English and not in any weird languages. Next!'

'Next we drink,' said Selene as she read from the book on her lap. 'Saying: I, Selene, promise to be a strength to Mollie and Vivian, never _to them_ will a lie pass my lips while Voldemort still lives.' She took a gulp of the chocolate and passed it to Mollie.

'I, Mollie, promise to be a strength to Selene and Vivian, never to them will a lie pass my lips while Voldemort still lives.' She took a deep drink of pure chocolate and passed it to Vivian.

'I, Vivian, promise to be a strength to Mollie and Selene, never to them will a lie pass my lips while Voldemort still lives.' She sipped the chocolate, forfeiting that approach she chugged the rest and handed it back to Selene. Vivian laughed as she licked off the chocolate mustache.

Selene set down the glass and picked up the knife, reading from the book she continued.

'I, Selene, through the magical blood running in my veins swear to be loyal to Mollie and Vivian until Voldemort is dead.' Slicing an inch long, but not too deep, cut in both hands she handed the knife to Mollie.

'I, Mollie, through the magical blood running in my veins swear to be loyal to Mollie and Vivian until Voldemort is dead.' She copied Selene's move, wincing slightly as she picked the knife up with her bloody hand to give it to Vivian.

'I, Vivian, through the magical blood running in my veins swear to be loyal to Mollie and Selene until Voldemort is dead.' She jumped slightly as the cold metal touched her palm. She handed the knife back to Selene.

'Touch palm to palm and hold each others hands.' They did, joining as a single unit. 'We are the Blackwell Triplets, let nothing bring us under. We are a single unit, three in one. We are each other's strength and each other's truth. We are the Blackwell Triplets. (Repeat the last part please.)'

"We are the Blackwell Triplets; let no one come between us." A binding glow covered their clasped hands, growing stronger as they spoke.

"We are the Blackwell Triplets."

"Morning sleepyhead!" Vivian was jerked away from her pleasant dreams of a heavenly Greek god by a blue eyed, brown haired blur speaking nonsense to her. Selene tried again. "Good MORNING!" pause "wake up Vivian! Isn't vivre supposed to mean alive! The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day! Dumbledore got us tickets for the World Cup! Come On YOU LAZY BUM! Mollie's been up taking tea with Dumbledore for hours and just came back with the good news!"

"l'eve me own." Vivian rolled over, dragging her pillows on top of her head. Selene rolled her eyes, flicking her hair behind her shoulder as she heaved up a bucket of water she had prepared.

"Vivian if you don't get up right now I promise you I will dump this nice cold bucket of refreshing water on your lazy bum." A muffed snore was heard from underneath the pillow.

"Fine!" and all that cold water splashed onto Vivian.

"SKREEEECH!" Vivian jumped up on her bed, her baggy eyes wide as she poised to jump on Selene.

"Who's the banshee?" Mollie called from the Living Room.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Vivian sputtered. Selene ran. You would too if you were being chased by a wild, bedraggled, banshee sounding, wet sister who knows how to use her fists. Selene sprinted out of the bedroom, laughing as she went through the living room and out the front door. With Vivian shouting Mollie-like profanities and death treats all the way after her. The portrait hole clicked shut.

"Be back in five minutes for breakfast!" Mollie called after them, chuckling a cruel chuckle as she dressed in one of their well-manicured, high-class robes from Madame Malkin. "Selene's going to get it." She said out loud to no one in particular.

Meanwhile, an alert Snape had picked up a trail. He had been stalking the maker of this trail for seven minutes now and counting. His dark figure blending in with the castle shadows. The trail was drops, drops of a clear liquid. Could be a trap he was meant to follow. The drops could be an acid, he stopped to sniff it. No smell. Snape didn't touch it, he had been hunting for years and knew better than that.

His ears pricked up. The noise sounded like a banshee? In the castle with no one around but Dumbledore, how perfect. He walked faster, half running towards the sound. He was a trained member of the Order and of the Death Eaters. He knew how to handle every situation. Right?

"Stupefy!"

"You're late for breakfast." A slightly amused Mollie said as her sisters stepped through the doorway. They looked abashed and very funny. What shocked Mollie was the brooding figure of the bat from the dungeons that stepped in after them. "And you weren't invited but you may join our breakfast anyways." He just nodded towards her and sneered at her sisters.

"I found these…girls. Do they belong to you?" Vivian glared at him as Selene voiced her opinion.

"Girls! We are twenty one and have been through three years of college already! Just because we like to have a little fun…" Snape had had enough inane childness from these Slytherins who acted more like thirteen year old Hufflepuffs. He was pissed-off, and it was only breakfast time. He was head of their house, he smirked, this was the chance he was looking for.

"Miss. Blackwells, you are pureblood witches of the Black and Wells house. This behavior is intolerable. Miss. Vivian if you would please wipe that inane look off your face, only glare when you know how to." He gave Selene a look that meant the-same-goes-for-you. "As Head of Slytherin House it is my duty to ensure the safety and the upbringings of my Slytherins are top notch. I expect no less from you as well. Miss. Mollie, please stand with your sisters. What I have to say is for all of you." He paused as Mollie gracefully stood and walked to stand with her sisters, the other two had their arms crossed. Vivian was still in her pajamas but she shoved her embarrassment down. "I will be sending someone trustworthy to instruct you and live with you for a while until you learn how to behave. Until then, Miss. Blackwells' act your age."

The front door closed behind his gliding figure.

Which was a good thing because an age insult always hits a tender nerve and the "young ladies" let a string of curses and swear words fly that would have made Mundungus Fleacher proud.

A few minutes later they all sat down at a table full of breakfast foods. The table was away from the living room, but not quite in a separate room. It was strange and a tiny living quarters, but Dumbledore had meant it that way so that they could use their magic to change it. A magic that they were having trouble using but they blamed it on their beginner mode.

"Wow, Mols! Where did all this come from? Did Dumbledore bring it?" Selene asked.

"No. Moppy made it." Mollie answered.

"Who?" Vivian asked as she sat down with her sisters.

"Moppy." Mollie snapped her fingers and a tiny house elf popped in front of them.

"Moppy here to serve the Miss. Blackwell." Moppy said curtsing in her little makeshift towels towards Mollie, then glancing up she curtsied twise more. "And serve the Miss. Blackwell, and Miss. Blackwell." Vivian turned to look at Mollie in astonishment.

"I didn't know you could snap your fingers!" she said to a proud Mollie.

"I've been working on it while you were out chasing each other." She smiled. "Moppy, my sisters and I are going out to the lake for the day. It's still summer after all! Please bring us lunch for four…no, five. Bring us lunch for five by the lake at noon."

"Yes, Miss. Blackwell. Moppy is on Dumbledore's orders to serve you and your sisters but it will be a pleasure." She curtsied to all of them and left with a POP.

"Four or more? I know we have a big appitite, but is it really that big?!" Selene asked as Mollie's grin turned into a smirk. "Oh! Wait, wrong question. Who are you expecting to join us?"

"Dig in sisters! And than you can tell me about the water incident with Snape." Vivian and Selene blushed and started eating, apparently Mollie would not answer the "who's coming?!" question.

"And I have another question," said Selene. "Do you like Snape?"

"Shut up and start eating! Your breakfast is getting cold." Mollie retorted. "Sometimes you have no subtlety at all."

Full and happy they moved to the living room to let Moppy clean up.

"So…how did Snape find you? You didn't run all the way down to the Dungeons…did you?"

"Well," Vivian started, "I was chasing Sel here, pretty fâshé (angry) about being woken with ice water. Don't you dare do that again Sel or I will kill you…" Selene laughed.

"Even though you can't!" Selene laughed at her irritated sister. Mollie rolled her eyes.

"Continue."

"Anyways, I was chasing Selene and we reached a dead end. I tried to slap Selene but I missed and fell. She was laughing so I got up and tried to punch her. But I kept missing and falling down. It was really weird."

"That's because the oath thing is working." Mollie said.

"Selene tried to hit me back but slipped and fell, we were both tired from running and I was dripping wet…" Vivian continued.

"And still in your bed clothes: more strategically placed cloth than a night gown," Mollie noted. Vivian blushed again as she continued.

"We were falling down, trying to land a blow and missing." Vivian said.

"I bet we looked hilarious." Selene added.

"And then Snape found us. He stupefied us and then enervated us again really quickly. He, um, dried me off. I was afraid he was going to hex me or something and then he said walk. I was about to tell him to mind is own beeswax but he said it was either walk or be levitated back. We chose to keep some of our pride." Vivian finished. "Even though I would have loved to feel how it is to be levitated."

"Yeah. We should have chose levitated." Selene said, nodding her head in satisfaction.

"Let's go swimming." Mollie said as she bounced up to get her swimsuit.

"I hate lakes full of unknown creatures! What if the creatures ate us?" Selene mumbled as she slowly went after them.

"So why are we going down to the lake, Mols?" Vivian asked.

"Oh Nothing! Just something I over heard from Dumbledore this morning." She called from the other room.

"Which is…?" Selene asked.

"He's getting a visit today from two misfits who are coming by way of the lake!" She called back. Selene and Vivian gave each other a questioning glance filled with happy anxiety then ran for their swimsuits, after all, why waste time?

The Blackwell Triplets were ecstatic as they sauntered down to the lakeside, towels in hand and almost transparent wraps around their bikinis. The great squid was poking its tentacles up to catch the soft rays of sunshine threatening to break loose from the cloudy English sky. Summer, there is nothing like it. Mollie threw an elated Tara into the air.

"So what do you think is Snape's problem? Why would he give us a tutor just like that?" Vivian asked, pulling up her slipping wrap around her hips again.

"He has had one hell of a past." Selene said, pushing her ear length bangs back from her face. "Not to mention that Voldemort is back. Well, not in full blown body and he hasn't called a meeting yet. But he is back. But his problem…?" She puffed her cheeks out to emphasize her point. Vivian laughed at her funny face.

"I think I am going to try and find out what his past was exactly. If I do that, then maybe we could change the sixth book around a little so that he doesn't have to kill Dumbledore." Mollie said.

"Wait? How would that help?" Vivian asked, utterly confused.

"I think he will have to kill Dumbledore anyways." Selene said. "Albus did say that in chess some pieces, small or big, do have to be sacrificed to win."

"As for our tutor!" Mollie said. "That should be interesting. I wonder what tricks we could play on her."

"It's a her? Why is it not a him?" Vivian asked.

"Aren't they all hers?" Mollie asked back.

"Not the gay ones!" Vivian laughed.

"A tutor? Hum Hum… So we can learn to" (Selene put on her British accent and walked down the hill like a model with her nose in the air) "Learn to walk, dear. Learn to talk, dear, and to pour tea like any proper lady. One lump or two?" Her sisters were driven into fits of laughter by Selene's show as they climbed the rocks on the lake. Finding the biggest one they took off their wraps. Selene dived into the water.

"Selene you could have killed yourself or gotten deadly hurt on a rock you reckless, foolhardy person!" Vivian screamed at her. Selene just laughed and dragged her into the water.

"You should have died." Mollie said as she walked into the water, still smiling.

The lake water was cold and crystal clear, even during Vivian's splashing. After dunking one another a victorious Mollie pulled herself onto the large flat rock and laid down to sleep in the sunlight. She only felt and didn't see the looming figure looking down from Hogwarts out of a dusty window. She just smiled.

'That old bastard needs to get a life.' Selene and Vivian cracked up as they dove for the lunch basket, dripped wet and very un-Slytherin.

The sun climbed higher in the sky as the girls started to enjoy their new lives as witches. Vivian, ever the practical one, had learned a spell to dry them off. The same one that Snape had used on her earlier in the day. Dry and happy they had a slight snack of grapes.

Even after the water incedent, as it was fondly called now, the girls were pretty prepared to join life, as secret and nonexistent as it may be, as the Blackwell witches.

Mollie, still laying out, finally remembered business. "Selene, have you written Pollump yet about the guy in Diagon?" Vivian sat up

"Yes. I wrote him last night after our ceremony thingy and I just sent it with Czar before we came out. Since he has already taken a oath no doubt" she fingered her ring that Pollump had given them "I just gave him orders. Well, sort of."

"Sort of? What is that supposed to mean." Mollie asked, "It's not like the guy could call the Ministry on us anyways but I do want him to pay for what he called us." Vivian was looking pretty intent too, what they were doing was illegal. Not bad, just illegal.

"I had a stroke of genius this morning and…" Selene was interrupted here by Vivian.

"That's a first!"

"_AND_ I put my first charm on the letter. Took me half an hour to look it up but that is beside the point. I charmed it so that only Pollump our goblin could see it as soon as he swore to obey it's content and when as he is done reading it to his hearts content it will burn up. Just so no one has any proof against us."

"How do you know it worked?" asked Mollie.

"I tried it on Moppy first, while you were getting dressed to come out here. I put it on a piece of scrap paper. I think she's still up there shining our new shoes…" Selene's voice wandered off.

"So, what did you tell him. We're dying to know." Mollie drawled, trying to imitate the lone professor of the dungeons.

"I told Pollump, for all of us of course, to transfer half the gold in a separate account for that bastards poor wife Dorothy and give the rest. He's really been giving her the beatings. The money will be in a separate vault for her, impossible for him to get to. I also told Pollump he could take one eighth for himself as a reward. I, ah…I also wrote the Ministry."

"YOU WHAT!" Mollie and Vivian yelled at her.

"No worries mate! They don't know we exist and I got the pen to write by itself with me dictating. I used those pens we bought at Flourish and Blotts. All I did was inform them about the two flying carpets in the bastards shop. Stop looking at me like that Vivi, I didn't sign my name. No doubt they will turn the shop over to Dorothy and put her trashy husband in some jail. I heard she has a sweet nature and a great head for business. It was your idea first Mollie anyways! Remember coming out of that shop saying how you wished the Ministry knew about the flying carpets. Well, I was just doing what I though would make you happy. They can't track the pen, or the ink, or the writer." Mollie calmed down while Selene spoke.

"Good, he'll be spending a long while in the can for being disrespectful to a Blackwell." Mollie stated. She seemed rather pleased. "Weren't there more flying carpets than two…?"

Selene was about to take a bite out of her first drumstick when a huge dog came bounding round the bend and ripped it out of her hand. Running off with his prize. A man seemed to be following it, climbing over the boulders with a grace that rivaled any forest animals.

Mollie smirked as Selene's breath caught in her throat. Ivvian was blushing a deep red, which actually became her.

'So these are your surprise guests, Mols.' Selene said, picking up another chicken leg as she ran after the dog. "Hey, give me back my chicken you beautiful mut!"

Mollie and Vivian watched as the man came closer, he had seen them too.

'Yep, I'm such a good sister!' Mollie thought as she watched Selene run off and Vivian franticly looking for somewhere to hide. 'Like a deer caught in the headlights.' She chuckled.

"Excuse me ladies. I'm sorry if my canine bothered you."

'Speak you dull fool!' Mollie urged her sister. Vivian cleared her throat.

"Not at all!" She wrapped a towel around her as she stood up. Her annoying sister had left her up to the introductions. "Hello, I'm Vivian and this is Mollie. It's very nice to meet you." The man shook it with a strong grip, yet gentle. Her arm melted.

"So nice to meet you Vivian, and your sisters though I fear one has run off. Water nymphs gracing mere humans with their utopian presence is a rare thing." Vivian blushed, he had a slight bit of Irish mixed in his soothing British accent. "I am Remus Lupin." He bowed and kissed her hand.

They heard barking and laughing as Selene rushed up, grabbed several more wings and a few chicken breasts and ran off again. Following the black dog.

"Would you care to join us for lunch." She gestured towards the large picnic basket Mollie was kneeling over. "We have more than enough food and the Headmaster really isn't expecting you to join him until after one o'clock." Vivian sat down.

"I wouldn't want to intrude upon your solitude. I am sorry about my canine, he hasn't been around people recently."

"You wouldn't be intruding. And as for your dog, we thank you for bringing it. It took Selene off our hands for a while. She is a lot to take care of. We expected you so we packed extra. You look hungry." He nodded, slightly perplexed.

"Very well then." Remus sat down beside Vivian. Mollie, behind them, tried hard not to laugh at their formal exchanges. "Do beautiful water nymphs like you have last names, Miss. Vivian?"

"Yes, but promise not to hate me for it." Why did he keep calling her a water nymph, maybe it was the seashell around her neck. She had just picked it up and attached it to the chain around her neck with the little gold key on it.

'Or maybe it's a Wizard's way of telling you that you _enchant him_.' Mollie thought, trying not to sigh dramatically. 'You attract him, you _draw him in_…the list is endless!'

"I'm fairly sure it would take more that words to force me to hate you." That was enough, Mollie left, unable to contain her laughter as she plunged into the lake.

"Sweet. But you cannot say things like that yet, especially not when you don't even know what type of creature I am. Drumstick?"

"Thank you, Miss. Vivian…"

"Blackwell. Vivian Blackwell."

"Vivian Blackwell. It is a beautiful name. It takes a lot for me to judge, more for me to lose my temper, and even more for me to hate." 'Sirius told me about them, abandoned the Wizarding world. Your related to my dog!' Remus thought. Vivian smiled, suppressing a giggle.

"You're blushing. Have you done anything you need to confess, Miss. Blackwell?"

"Do call me Vivian, and if I have than I would not confess it to you Remus! Why are you going to see Dumbledore anyways?"

"I see I have an inquisitive water nymph on my hands, but I don't know what I can tell you."

"Fine then, I'll go first."

So, while Vivian was telling Remus of herself, and the gient squid was throwing around Mollie, and Dumbledore was eating Muggle candy, and while Tara flew and dove in the sky, and while Czar flew back to Hogwarts, and Storm slept lazily by the fireplace and Snape owled a suitable educate teacher in his dungeons, Selene and the very large black dog were exploring the underground caves below Hogwarts.

It had all started with Selene saying, "I'm not very brave, but you look like a smart, safe dog. Do you know any secrets about Hogwarts?" The dog seemed to look into her eyes, laugh and then trot off. She knew, of course, that this was one of the infamous Mauderers. So she followed him in full trust. Which probably wasn't smart. They went down one large rock formation, and up another until they came to a little inlet of water into a cave.

"OH NO! I don't do the cave thing. I'm claustrophobic and I don't like water over my head." The dog came back and nudged her. She pet him as he whimpered to her. She reached out to her sisters for strength. "OK, fine you sad puppy. I'll do it, but it better be worth it." He barked happily. She swam with the little inlet of water and climbed up onto the bank inside the small cave, crawling through a water made tunnel with the wet dog by her side. Selene wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise and definitely wouldn't have thought about going here by herself! They squeezed through a small opening into an extremely large cavern.

It looked like the walls, the ceiling and the floor were made of bright blue diamonds. There was a small pool of clear blue water, reflecting off the walls. A thousand little colorful creatures lived in it. Large stalagmites and stalactites glittered with the waters reflection. It was a small piece of bright heaven on earth.

Selene sat herself next where the dog was lying down, panting slowely.

"Gorgeous," Selene whispered as she pet the wet dog. She, herself was dripping wet and still in her bikini.

"Goodness, with you stealing my chicken I forgot to ask your name." His ears perked up at the word chicken. "You ate them all. Well, I ate my share." The dog rolled over and Selene scratched it's belly in return.

"Well, I'm Selene and you are a sucker for attention." The dog seemed to chuckle. "Selene is a moon goddess in Greek mythology. So your name should be mythology too. Don't ask me why that is just the way it is and preferably something with the stars and planets and such. How about Pluto." The big dog growled. "Ok, not Pluto. It's taken anyways."

'Selene, where are you?' Mollie called.

'Down in a cave with Sirius trying to guess his name.'

'Ok. We're going back to our rooms, see you there.' The dog was looking at her strangely.

"What?" Selene asked. "How about Zeus, that's a strong name. No? Ok. I don't like it anyways. I had a friend who anme their dog Zeus, it was a worm filled animal anyways." The dog blinked in sympathizing pain and looked away. "Hey I've got it! Dog…dog…dog star! Now if only I could remember my Astronomy. Dog star is Sirius! I'llcall you Sirius if you don't mind. Why are you laughing at me? Ok fine, you laugh at me. The tide is coming in…" and it was, they could see water starting to rush in the hole. "I hope you know another way out of here."

The dog just jumped up and headed towards the other side wehre there seemed to be stairs, climbing it led them up through the dungeons and out a portrait near Flinch's office. The dog led them to Dumbledore's office where they parted ways. Selene went to her rooms to get changed.

Some minutes later the whole group met up in Dumbledore's office where he was twinkling enough to light up the night sky. With the wave of his wand all were seated to an afternoon tea, with three coffees.

"I do believe you can change to your natural form Sirius. I don't believe anyone here would mind." Remus looked skeptical but the triplet's reactions to Sirius changing but his fears were quickly dispelled.

"Vivian told me about her and her sisters. I didn't even know telepathy was possible any more." Remus inquired after Dumbledore, leaning on the arm of his chair.

"Hold up. Who's bloody telepathic?" Sirius asked, from the French couch he was sharing with Selene and Mollie.

"We are." Selene said.

"Your what? I'm sorry. Hello, my name is Sirius Black, nice to meet you. Who are you?"

Remus rolled his eyes, his friend was ever the charming one…not.

"Don't cuss, you arsehole. Hello, my name is Selene Blackwell…"

"Blackwell? As in the Blackwells that…"

"Yes, those were are parents. They went to the states, our kind loving mother had us, lied to us for our entire life and then disowned us from receive the little they had left when we came back here with Snape." Mollie replied.

"COUSINS!" Sirius called. He grabbed the closest things too him, which were Mollie and Selene and a biscuit he suffed in his mouth, giving them both a big hug at the same time. Vivian was too far away for him to reach. He nodded to her anyways.

"That reminds me…" Selene said, free of his embrace. "We had a fake cousin named Jo who married a Saul King. After they got married they were known as joking and Saulking!" Sirius cracked up, mouth still partly full. Selene laughs when others laugh so both were bend over on the sofa cracking up.

'Did Sirius just snort?' Vivian asked Mollie.

'I'm not quite sure, might have been Selene.' Dumbledore and Remus, not to mention Mollie and Vivian were all staring at them dumbfounded. The same 'simple minds are simply amused' going through their heads.

"The reason I called you here," the headmaster said to Remus and Sirius. "Was not only to inform you of these young ladies past but also to inform you that their identity must be kept as secret as possible. They are to be my personal advisors and, as you have said Remus, will be our only chance of winning this war."

"Wait, why is that exactly?" asked a bewildered Sirius. "If you are planning on using them like the Blacks were than I'm leaving and I'm taking them with me!"

"Sirius," Remus explained. "These girls are seers."

"I know. They were destined to be the greatest seers before they were born. It's in the blood. Just don't let your heads swell." He told the triplets.

"More than that Padfoot, they already know what is going to happen up until the end of Harry's seventh year." Sirius' eyes widened as he gave a low whistle.

"So am I going to die?" Sirius asked. The triplets tried to make their laughter sound real.

"That is the famous question." Selene said. "And before you get worried about Harry Potter. We will meet him. He will be the one battling Voldemort. Don't worry, we are not going to steal his glory away from him." Mollie suppressed a snort.

"They are going to join the Order and I need your help for that. I want you to introduce them to the other members and to accompany them to the Quiddich World Cup, Remus. I do not think it would be sie for you to go Sirius. I would like to keep you alive for as long as possible, until you are free to walk about at least." Sirius looked downtrodden, his lack of freedom was starting to grate on his nerves. He wasn't used to people telling him no.

"I would be very happy to accompany them to the Quiddich World Cup. This is, of course, if the triplets do not mind." He inquired of them, Selene and Mollie were silently smiling at him, wickedly leaving Vivian to answer him.

"We would be honored, Remus." Vivian pushed him back into his chair. Over on the couch Sirius and Selene were having a quiet conversation of their own while Albus, Remus and Mollie were discussing details.

"So you knew I was a human all along?"

"Yes I did, Sirius. I like the name I gave you, funny that other people use it on you too!" He chortled.

"Brilliant. Yet you still pet me?"

"Hard not to when you're a dog. You should seriously think about keeping that your perminate position."

"James used to tell me that." He whispered sadly.

"Yeah. Naming you was the best part. It was absolutely hilarious. Do you want to come over tomorrow and show me some more of those secret passageways so I can move around without people seeing me. I have to warn you though. I am afraid of the dark." Sirius looked at her.

"Nah, I don't think I want to come all the way back here tomorrow."

"Why? Do you have a more pressing engagement? A hair cut appointment? Vet appointment?"

"Ouch there Selene! I'm just joking with you, Remus and I are staying the night here. Do you really think I need a hair cut?"

Selene nodded.

"Fine. Give me a hair cut tomorrow and I'll show you around a section of the school."

"Deal." They shook on it.

"HAHA! I didn't say when I'd do it." Sirius said.

"For an old guy you sure act young." Selene retorted. He scoffed and shut up, his eyes going dark and unfocased.

'Smooth move there X-Lax.' Vivian thought to Selene who was looked at Sirius with sad eyes.

"Well, hopefully all the kinks are worked out on this." Mollie said. "Sisters? You ready for an afternoon nap." They nodded and left by floo for their quarters.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: HP characters belong to J.K.Rowlings, as does some of the general story line. The Blackwell Triplets belong to my sisters and I.**_

_**A Three-Braided Cord**_

_**Chapter Four: Finding Fitting Furniture**_

Predicting events and saving lives was their reason for staying here, but right now there was house cleaning to be done before school starts!

Remus and Sirius, after being gone all evening, had spent the night in one of the wings of Hogwarts Castle. The girls had eaten a festive supper in the Great Hall, to which Snape had not shown. They had been introduced to a hard working McGonagle who had come back for the next two weeks to work on next years courses. She welcomed them curtly, her mind on other things, including how to teach them best.

Only one purple alarm clock woke them up that morning. The black Storm yawned on the purple carpet and stretched in his cat like way. They had taken care to turn the other two off last night, and set one for nine o'clock so that they didn't sleep to late. Mollie still didn't like it.

'Fucking mornings. Bloody Hell…' she went on more of a rampage that will not go down on paper. Vivian and Selene just blocked her out of their minds. They got up and put on some less fancier work dresses. Madame Malkin hadn't liked giving them plainer outfits, and had refused to give them anything but dresses. Long or short they had to wear dresses. Vivian hadn't minded but Selene was at a loss without her blue jeans. They all put on their silky inside robes overtop their outfits and went to work.

Moppy served bagels and French Vanilla coffee as they sorted through their trunks of Muggle stuff they had brought. Mollie wrote their University, telling them that they were not going to be there next year and to send their stuff to the junkyard. It would look to weird if a bunch of college stuff were being sent all the way to England. People would start getting suspicious. She had asked Albus to send the letter via Muggle post. He had agreed, sticking it in one of his many pockets.

Selene found the huge CD player she had brought with all four of her speakers, plus the extra speakers she had put in Vivian's trunk. She set them all beside her bed. It wouldn't work with the magic around them but they could probably fix that. Vivian sorted through her Muggle clothes, keeping some just in case and throwing in a bin what she thought she was never going to wear again. Her sisters followed her example.

The purple was still there. They couldn't get any of their color changing spells to stick longer than half an hour. Purple was Barney, not the Blackwell Triplets. It was even starting to make Tara and Czar dizzy. Flapping here and there in confusion, finally begging their owners to let them outside. Mollie and Selene agreed and opened the portrait hole for them.

Believe it or not the triplets enjoyed getting elbow deep in house redecorating and reworking. They all had an eye for it. Vivian had worked during college as a house cleaner and had even been hired as a redecorator. Selene pulled out parchment and ink as Mollie and Vivian pulled out their wands and their How To Make Redecoration A Spell by Throttle Purple.

"I feel that way, I just want to throttle the color purple!" Mollie grunted, cracking the book open. She was rewarded with a satisfying crunch as she broke the bind and flipped through the pages highlighting the spells that were going to be useful.

The next move, before they started working, was to plan what exactly they wanted and find the spells for it all. The next four hardest years of their lives were to be spent here and they needed someplace to stretch out in. Selene, the blooming architect, designed a rough draft as Vivian pointed out places for her decoration ideas.

Remus and Sirius showed up around lunchtime, strange candies sticking out of their pockets. Moppy brought up enough Filet de Beauf for all of them.

"Perfect timing." The triplets grinned at Sirius' words.

The planning the girls had started was necessities, such as a separate room as a dining room, a bigger bedroom, a classroom and a small potions lab. Extra security to keep out those who meant harm on the front portrait, and the library they had been talking about. With the Maurdereres it was imagination and fairytales. Their suggestions had no bounds as they sat down to lunch: a mirror that you could walk though and out another mirror in another place in their quarters was one of them. Wizardspace was another. They finished lunch and took a candy each as they sat down around Selene's designs.

"How does magic make spare rooms out of no space?" Vivian asked.

"You forgot the keyword: magic!" Mollie butted in.

"True, but the question should be: How do you get the spare rooms to stay?" Remus replied. "That is where the skill comes in."

"We know all about that! We can't get rid of this purple for more than half and hour!" Selene wined.

"Let's start! Blimey this will be fun!" Sirius jumped off the floor and started eyeing the walls around him as if waiting for one of them to sprout doors. Mollie rolled her green eyes at him and huffed comically.

"We aren't building yet." Mollie said. 'Eager twit!'

"Common Sirius, let's give you that hair cut!" Selene dragged the overgrown puppy onto a short stool. "Sit." She commanded as she went to get the scissors Madame Malkin had given them. "Vivian, why don't you see if Remus could help us with that stereo." Vivian nodded.

"Music would be nice." Vivian said as she took Remus to the blank wall. "Vivian Blackwell" She said, Remus smiling as the arch appeared. They walked into the bedroom, the arch closing behind them.

Mollie lay on her stomach by the fireplace reading their redecoration book and absent-mindedly petting a purring Storm.

Selene trimmed Sirius' hair to a layered shoulder length. She had never cut hair before but these scissors knew what they were doing and worked their magic without her even having to touch the handles. When they were done the fell limp in Selene's hands. Sirius thanked her, repaying her by changing their living room walls to sandy beige. Mollie looked up.

"I like it. Now teach me that spell." He sat down next to Mollie to teach her.

Remus and Vivian emerged from the triplet's room successful. Vivian holding her wand in the air as the stereo and it's speakers floating out behind them. Setting it down in a corner she said "Finite. Let's see how this baby works!" Sticking in her Rock Mix CD she looked at Remus for instruction. "Nice walls." She added.

Remus took out the plug from the back of it. "You won't be needing this anymore." He said as she pressed play. Sounds of 'Seven Nation Army' came through the speakers.

"YES! It works!" Selene jumped up and down! Vivian turned the volume on low so they could talk while it played. Mollie smiled, quietly singing along.

Their next weeks were full of house planning, teatime with Dumbledore, sunbathing by the lake in the afternoon with Sirius in his dog form and then in the afternoon Remus teaching them the basics spells to transform their quarters. Evenings the two men were always out on some unknown business.

You have no idea how hard it is for three opinionated girls to decide on a bedroom color. They finally decided to plan on each having their separate rooms attached to one another. Their bedroom was to turn into a library for all the books stacked in their crowded living room. They still had no kitchen, classroom, potions lab, or space for a separate dining room. Everything was just in the beginning stage.

Dumbledore came to their quarters the next Monday morning to take a look at their plans.

"Hello ladies, nice walls." Dumbledore said as he stepped through their portrait wall.

"Thanks Albus!" Vivian said as she waved for him to sit down.

He joined them on the now black couch with sandy pillows to take a look at the fourth copy of Selene's architectural designs. There entire living room was now in sandy, a deep forest green, and some black to highlight. The marble fireplace was still there and looking as polished as ever.

"I don't know if wizard space can accommodate all this…but we can try." She said.

"You won't need to!" Dumbledore said. "Your quarters are in a section of the castle that isn't used, yet there are plenty of classrooms gathering dust around here. All you need to do is knock down a few walls, clean out the classrooms and voila! You can have your rooms, your classroom, your potions lab and maybe a little bit more." The girls smiled and did high fives. They all hugged the old man who grunted.

"Not too hard, my daughters. I'm getting old you know." They laughed. "And if I am right in thinking, there is also a…no, I'll surprise you instead." He got up and walked to the empty wall beside their small bathroom. He knocked on the wall a couple of times in different places. Nodding his head he stood back and traced a two doors opening up into one another with his wand on the wall.

"Creare Portaboscus Restasolidus." He pointed his wand at the wall where two wooden doors transformed.

"Wow, that was complicated." Vivian said. Dumbledore chuckled.

"It was rough latin. A direct translation would be 'create wooden doors that will stay solid'. I cannot make up spells for transformation as well as Menerva." He opened both doors to reveal a dark and dusty hall.

"Sourgify." Mollie drawled as the halls massive cobwebs disappeared. "I wasn't about to walk into that thing without it being clean first."

"It's still dark." Selene said, but she walked in with the rest of them. Dumbledore blew on the tip of his wand and two rusty chandeliers lit up overhead. Selene thanked him.

They could see doors leading off the hall. Mollie opened the first one on the left; it led to another dusty hallway, smaller than the first. After another rough cleaning routine they found four classrooms running off of it, one of them was especially big. Dumbledore had to kill a huge spider about as big as his arm in the last classroom. They walked back into the larger hallway and searched the rest of the doors. But just three classrooms branched off of the right side. All of them were the same 30 by 20 foot and had the same 15 by 20 foot closets at the end of them. Not too big for classrooms but huge for bedrooms.

"You don't mind if we use all of these, Albus?" Selene asked.

"Of course not! Why do you think I put you in these quarters?" He said chuckling, scratching at the stone wall beside the door to their quarters.

"Great! Then the classrooms on the right of this big hallway can be our bedrooms. And the four classrooms in that smaller hallway," Mollie said, pointing towards the door to the other hallway door, "can be used for a kitchen, a classroom, a potions lab, and something else. I don't think we really need that big classroom."

"Especially not with the dead spider in it." Selene mumbled.

"You could use it for a dueling arena. I do believe that was it's first purpose." Dumbledore suggested.

"Halleluiah! A Dueling Arena!" They did a little jump and skip through the halls.

"Ladies, I have one more surprise." Dumbledore said to the enthusiastic triplets, he clapped his hands and walked down to the back of the hall. Looking at the left side there was only one door that they could see, but apparently Dumbledore saw more.

"Revelum Sortilegus" A red ball of light moved around the stone in different directions then vanished back where it had come from. "What I said was reveal the incantation or the charm, or the spell if you like. The red movement was telling me what type of spell it was." They nodded.

"So what is it?" Selene asked.

"It's a door." He replied, then he turned towards the wall and spoke. "Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, aperire." An arch, like the one in their bedroom opened up. "In these older parts of the castle that haven't been…modernized… you have to use old Latin roots for spells. On even older objects you have to revert to runes and wild magic." He said, still smiling.

Dumbledore walked in the arch, followed by the triplets who gasped in pure delight. In front of them was a bathroom rivaling that of the prefects. It was huge! They walked in, their footsteps making the dust rise from the floors. The first thing you saw when you walked in was the 30 foot long, 30 foot wide bath tub. The girls giggled with glee! It was dried up but they could, no doubt, get it working again. Selene turned one of the many knobs only to have an oily brown dripping come out.

"Gross." Mollie said. "We're going to have to clean that."

"Yes," Dumbledore added. "And the tanks inside it. You will have to put your own shampoo, bubble bath and such inside. Aperire," he said again as his wand lifted a tile off of he floor to show a large tank full of a brown goo. "I think that was bubble soap once." He chuckled. The girls wriggled their nose in disgust as he lowered the tile. Further on they found three showers, a sauna, an empty room for storage and a sauna whirlpool full of dust and grime.

"I didn't know the Wizarding World had these!" Vivian said.

Mollie snapped her fingers and Moppy appeared. "Miss. Mollie called?" she asked. Glancing up she stumbled again for another curtsy. "Moppy did not see Headmaster."

"Hello Moppy!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "How are the Blackwell sisters treating you?"

"They are perfect ladies, sir Headmaster." He smiled at the big-eyed elf.

"Moppy," Mollie said. "We now have a few new rooms. I do believe some massive cleaning is in order."

"And there is a giant dead spider in one of the rooms so don't be too alarmed, just send it back out to the forest where it belongs." Selene added. They watched Moppy bob her head as she went to clean.

That night, after Selene and ripped up and thrown away her useless plans they created new ones based on the design they had. They still didn't have a dining room but maybe they could create that. They were up till three, Vivian leading the way as they planned room colors, carpets, woods, stone, and everything else. Finding fitting furniture was going to be hard. They took out the Home Fitting catalog Dumbledore had left them and made plans, highlighting what they thought would fit and argued until they were dead tired.

They sent out Czar and Tara with orders for several decoration houses and duplications of their Gringotts key and orders for Pollump, who was the only goblin allowed to touch their vault.

Sleep came easy that night...morning actually since the triplets didn't go to bed until around four.

The next afternoon, four days before the World Cup, an eccentric owl flew into their living room. Mollie reached up and let it perch on her wrist as she took the note and the rather long round package. They watched it leave with not much enthusiasm.

"Strange." Mollie tiredly said as she took another sip of coffee. Vivian yawned. Storm, who was stretching on her lap, yawned at the same time. Selene would have laughed at the coordination but she was trying not to fall asleep at the breakfast table. Their alarm clock and rung a little too early that morning. Mollie had let out her most colorful string of curses yet.

Everything seemed to take longer than it ever did in the books. It seemed abnormal for things to actually go at a normal, boring spead when the books were so action packed and interesting.

Mollie, a house robe over her pajamas, took another sip of her coffee as she pealed the Gringotts seal away from the letter. Storm purred happily on Vivian's lap.

The letter read:

_" Gringotts Bank, 1__st__ Rank Goblin_

_To: __Miss. Mollie Blackwell, Miss. Selene Blackwell, Miss Vivian Blackwell_

_As your most humble and obedient servant, I have done as you requested. A Mr. Shultz unknowingly donated half of his gold to his wife, Mrs. Dorothy Shultz. The gold, as you requested, was put in a separate vault and she was handed the key. Three eights have gone to you, my masters. And I thank you for the generous gift of one eighth. _

_Mr. Shultz, under further inspection by the ministry, is a Death Eater. As yours I do not question reasons for destroying a Death Eater. News of this discovery will not reach the public due to Fudge and his political habits._

_I have taken the liberty; forgive me my masters, of sending you these gifts, three of Mr. Shultz's flying carpets. _

_Forever will I be,_

_Yours,_

_Pollump_

_p.s.- Forgive me for my taking such a long time. I have been out of practice too long and needed to renew old connections. Your network is running one more._

_May your glory never die!"_

"Cool." Vivian replied unenthusiastically.

"He must not like Fudge." Selene stated the obvious.

"We have a network." Mollie asked, but it wasn't really a question. Questions took energy and there wasn't much of that stuff in the morning. "I wonder if that is a bad idea."

"Why would having a network be a bad idea?" Vivian asked.

"Because, Vivs, more people would know we are alive then. We should probably tell Pollump to keep us on the low right now." Selene said. Mollie nodded, flipped her ring to the cool black marbled surface sending a warm trickle to Pollump's.

'Reveal us to no one.'

Remus and Sirius were off who knows where on Albus' orders. Snape had left last week for some relatives and according to Albus would return tomorrow. It had surprised the triplets that Snape visited relatives. But now it was time to get to work, again.

Finishing their coffee, two of them stood up and, brandishing their wands, opening the door into the main hallway, which was now well lit and clean thanks to Moppy. (Tripet's Note: The hall was wide enough for two of the triplets could lay down finger to toe and almost touch each end and taller then all three of them put together. The triplets, all the same height, are 5'4.)

"I want to go back to bed." Vivian said, pulling her knee length transparent robe around her pastel pajamas, leaning her head on the table, as a knocking was heard on their portrait door. Selene left the hall to answer the door, but Moppy was there first to open it.

Mollie rolled her eyes. "It's almost two in the afternoon."

"Hello Czar! Tara, how did it go?" Selene asked as a hooting Czar followed by eight more owls carrying supplies answered her. All carrying magical paints, carpets, a small box that had shrunken bookshelves in it, supplies for their kitchen, yards upon yards of material from Madame Malkin and much more. Paying the owls, which willingly left, they stared at the clutter in their living room.

"Yes. So…um… we should get all those books out of our living room and into the new library!" Mollie said as she looked at the piles of stuff in their living room.

"I guess we should paint first." Selene suggested.

"Two points for the master of the obvious!" Mollie said as she dug in the pile, grabbed a can of paint with extras and walked the entire length down the hall into her clean room. Three of the walls in her room were stone, but the fourth wall was smooth and ugly. It had been scrapped clean by Moppy of the past coat of paint that created a blackboard for the entire wall. The room was spotlessly clean. The floor was also a stone that would have to be covered with carpets. A cold floor in the morning was exactly what Mollie did _not_ want. She opened the can of a deep green that was so dark it was almost black. The paint can sported the signs "Drip Free!" and "Fast Dry". Pouring most of it into a paint holder with a roller she watched it get to work on the free wall after bossing it around with specific instructions.

Satisfied, she looked at the ceiling, she had never noticed before but there was a newly polished silver chandelier on the arched ceiling above her, with new candles in its small gold leaves. Of course it wasn't attached to the ceiling, just floating right beneath it, turning very slowly to make the hanging jewels jingle a little. She smiled. She was going to make this room like a princesses dream chamber. Mollie went out to the living room to collect the rest of the stuff for her bedroom to leave right outside in the hall. She peaked in her sisters rooms before gathering her stuff.

Selene shrugged, grinning, at Mollie's "master of the obvious" and spotted her own can of paint, roller and a holder. She could tell it was hers because of all the little stars shimmering around the can, she touched it and the cover turned into a cloudy dawn just about to break free. She walked half way down the hall into her room, kneeling she opened the can of paint, poured it all into the holder.

"Do the walls and the ceiling and the floor." She commanded, watching the paint get to work. This was a special paint color; it wasn't really a color at all but a replication of the sky. Once dry it would change according to your mood if you touched it. As it painted you could see little balls of light putting themselves in place according to their star constellations, the Milky Way could be seen on one side. The northern lights were even beginning to show. Selene left to go get her bed. She had some special charms, that Remus and Sirius had helped her with that she was going to use on it.

Vivian laughed at Selene's half-hearted shrug to Mollie's "two points for the master" and just grabbed a small can of seeds. Filling a watering can in the bathroom she came out again to a perky eared Moppy whose was jumping up and down at the sight of all their stuff in the living room.

"Moppy, take the kitchen appliances to the kitchen and start putting things away." She ordered. "Put the boxes of shelves in our old bedroom but don't unpack those just yet. Clean out dirty soap dispensers in the bathroom and pour in the new stuff we bought. It is laying over there by the door. Yes, those huge heavy packages. I have no clue how owls brought those in. We are going to have to move the wardrobe but not yet. And…um…take our new carpets laying over their by the breakfast table…take them to our old room." She glanced in the open arch to their bedroom where Czar and Tara were sleeping, perched on the wardrobe side by side. They had become friends after Czar had come back from his first delivery.

Vivian walked through the doors, turned right and entered her own stone room. She giggled slightly in anticipation.

'My room is going to be the best!' She thought.

'No way! Mine is!'

'Nuh unh. I like mine the best!' Came the reply of her sisters.

Taking the lid off the can she started tossing one type of seed onto the stone floor, watching some the seeds fall into the cracks. Taking he watering can she sprinkled the floor with the water, quickly stepping out of the empty room as the seeds began to burst open and grow into the softest grass anyone has ever touched. The grass kept growing too, but not up, she watched the grass braid itself round and round into a soft carpet. Selene and Mollie poked their heads in the door beside her.

"Brings a whole new meaning to: Watching the Grass Grow." Mollie and Vivian smacked Selene for making dumb jokes.

When it seemed done Mollie and Selene left to retrieve their beds from their old bedroom while Vivian continued her garden theme. Taking another type of seed from the can she dotted them around the sides of her room.

'It's a good thing this can has labels on each little packet of seeds are or else I would be so confused!' She thought to her sisters. She knew, rather then heard, them smiling and laughing. Watering the edges of her room she stood in the middle as deep green vines wound their way up the walls, stopping just after they reached the ceiling. She looked up at the white, arched ceiling in disappointment.

'Selene, can I borrow some of your paint?'

'If I have any left after it's done in my room, sure!' was the reply.

She took out another package from the can labeled wildflowers and scattered them around the corners of the room and a few seed along some edges. Watering them they burst into unique plants with abundant shades of pinks, reds, blues, yellows, and oranges. She gazed at them in wonder. Why would her parents have left this? The magic that could ensure the survival of such beauty could not possibly be bad. Mollie stepped in the room.

"Wow," was all she needed to say, "It looks really perfect for you, Vivian. Really…fresh…and sweet. What is that smell?" Mollie inquired, sniffing at the different wildflowers.

Selene stepped in behind Mollie and smiled at her sister, an almost sad smile. "Beautiful, and no. Magic in itself is not bad but it can be used for evil. As cliché as that sounds."

"This room is so beautiful it makes me sad." Vivian said. "Our claustrophobic parents would have hated for me to have a room like this."

"Well, I have something that will brighten your day!" Selene said.

"FOUND IT!" Mollie cried. "It is this orange plant that smells so good! I can't identify the smell though." She sat down to ponder the smell, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder.

Selene smiled, "Well it was going to be your Christmas present but I can see that you need it now. Moppy!" Moppy popped into existence. 'That's so cool.' Thought Selene, she bent down and whispered something into the excited elf's ear.

"Yes, Miss. Selene." Moppy said, bobbing a cursty. "This chamber very loverly, Miss. Vivian."

"Thank you Moppy." Moppy smiled a shy, wide grin and was gone again.

"I need to lear…" Selene began.

"Sorry Sel, but I don't think you will be learning how to _pop_ like an elf for quite some time." Mollie said, using her sister's terminology. She absentmindedly pet the grass rug, jumping slightly as Moppy reappeared with a hastily wrapped, very large, gift floating behind her.

"Here's it is!" She curtsied and left.

"Alright Vivian, open it. Consider it the present I couldn't get you all these years because we never had money." The triplets expression may have shown a contorted smile mixed with anger, but it is very hard to describe.

Vivian ripped apart the wrapping to reveal a seven foot high, stone structure with moss growing on some of the rocks.

"How's it work? First, what is it?" Vivian asked.

"It's a waterfall!" Mollie exclaimed as she picked up a small wall hanging. "And this is a second waterfall that goes with it. But it just has water forever trickling through it, not out of it."

"You knew about this?" Vivian asked. "And you didn't spill the beans! I am impressed."

"Shut up!" Mollie retorted. "I can keep secrets for other people, I just like to know secrets about me. I'll call Moppy again."

Moppy arrived in all her _pop_ glory and refused to teach Selene how to _pop_. She hung the waterfall for them and got it started, water would trickle out of some holes in the top, trickle down the rocks into a little pool in the wall hanging that never seemed to get too full. The big waterfall she moved to the side of the room beside the bathroom. As she started it the triplets could see that there was actually a large basin created to catch the water as it fell to the ground.

"So that is wizard space." Vivian said as she peered into the small pool, water began to fall over the edge of waterfall 7 feet down, not even causing a splash as it hit the bowl that seemed to bend to the will of the water but never get bigger. 'Hunh.' Vivian pulled on one end of the basin and it stretched and stayed where she put it, no longer in a perfect oval as it had been.

"We'll leave you to your forming, Vivian. If you need any goldfish just call and we'll have Remus buy you some when he comes back to Hogwarts." Selene said, her and Mollie laughing as they left.

"Goldfish." Vivian said thoughtfully as she molded her basin. She grabbed the booklet that came along and flipped through it.

Mollie stepped into her chamber; she had successfully moved her four-poster bed into the room and put away all three of the purple matching princess canopy's that were on them. It wasn't very hard to move the bed since all she had to do was tell Moppy to shrink it and carry it over and situated the head on the same wall as the door. She used a little 'Wingaridum Leviosa' to carry the heavy canopy she had ordered from Madame Malkin and hung it from the ceiling with a little help from Moppy to drape down the sides of the bed. The canopy was huge, consisting of two different cloths. The first cloth, creating a closed canopy bed was in a soft cream and almost see-through. The second was a heavier alpine green cloth, interwoven with silver that tied to the four posters of the bed. She hung a large mahogany backboard to the wall at the head of her bed.

She placed candelabra's on mahogany table she had bought and another special made full height candelabra in the corner next to a mahogany vanity set. All three of them had gotten matching vanity sets, including chairs, in different woods.

'Perhaps nothing creates a sense of drama in the bedroom more than a mahogany four-poster bed with a large backboard.' Mollie thought. 'Well, maybe my carpet will.' She smirked as she floated her large white and black striped White Bengal Tiger carpet. This was no faux-fur. This was still a nine foot tiger just flat, the tail added another three feet! She turned it in the air until it was perfectly situated, then gently lowered it to the floor.

"A perfect reminder that power, no matter how great, can be taken away." Selene said as she entered. Mollie turned her head to look at her.

"Why do you have feathers sticking to you?" She asked. Selene grinned.

"To make a long story short I tried to wake up our birds so that we could move the wardrobe while I was eating some honey on bread. It didn't work out to well!" Mollie teased her as she plucked feathers from her hair. "I think you should go take a shower. And I also think you should stop eating right before supper!"

"Yes, mother!" Selene exclaimed as she was swatted out of the room.

Mollie stood their pondering what to do with the rest of her room. Well, it was nearing dinnertime; maybe she should go take a look at their kitchen.

"Aperire" and Selene walked into their large bathroom, holding on her arm one of their new towels they had bought. It was large and fuzzy and green. Not very surprising since green was the one of the few common favorite colors of the triplets. They had thought of having black towels but black was too much of a death omen, plus, green was already in the decorating scheme of their new bathroom.

After Moppy had cleaned beautiful marble greens, whites, and blacks had shown up underneath all the dust. Silver colored faucets lined one side of the gigantic bathtub. It must have been an old Slytherin prefect's bathroom at one point and time.

She walked past the tub into the back rooms where there were three showers. There used to be four but the fourth was so rusted out that it was impossible to renew whatever magical plumping had been used. So they had stuck with just three showers.

She stepped in; these showers were unlike any other she had seen before. As she turned the water on it came down on her from three faucets on three different sides of the shower. It was almost necessary to have three of them since one shower was six feet long and six wide.

Of course, in the showers, is when you think of everything random. For example, the thoughts going through Selene's head right now was squares. Everything came in squares in this bathroom. The floor was tiled in squares, the bath was a square the showers were squares, the whirlpool was a rounded off square, the sauna was square and the storage room was square. Not that this has anything whatsoever to do with their lives here but it was a random fact she happened to notice. Which was impressive in itself because Selene didn't always notice the relevant things that seemed to matter: like who liked whom. She could never guess that, especially not when a guy liked her. Believe it or not but she was totally oblivious in that subject. A second thought she pondered while in the shower was that this couldn't be a Slytherin bathroom because everything was in squares and Salazar was not a square type of man.

Vivian was still working on her room. Selene had given her the extra paint that was left, which she had put to good use on the ceiling. It was barely enough but it made it. When it was dry Vivian climbed a tall stepladder she had brought in from one of the spare rooms Dumbledore had given them and touched the ceiling, which turned to a bright Jamaican sky.

She looked like she was living in the outdoors. The only problem was that stone surrounded her, despite the vines you could still tell there was stone underneath. "But the walls give the room a sort of lost civilization, or secret garden or forest haven look." She mused as she lay down on her bed. The vines had loved the vanity armoire and chair made of willow.

Vivian had done a lot of work to her bed as well. While the paint was drying she had Moppy chop off the legs to her bed so that it would be only a few inches from the floor. She had left the four-poster legs above the bed to drape thin pastel pink chiffon across that would separate her bed just a little from the living things around her. She looked up to see a willow knickknack/bookshelf hanging on two of the walls around her bed.

'Willow…willow…Eureka!' She crawled out of her pink tent, standing on her tiptoes to grab the can of seeds she had left. She opened it. 'I knew I had forgotten something!'

'What did you forget?' her sisters asked her.

'My willow!' Selene rushed out of the shower to quickly get dressed in order to watch the excitement. Mollie, who had been talking to Moppy and rearranging the kitchen left to watch as well. Vivian filled her now empty watering can in the tiny bathroom they each had attached to their bedrooms. It consisted of a toilet and a medium sized sink, nothing more and nothing less.

Vivian took out a large nut from the bottom of the can and placed in the corner, not opposite the door where the waterfall was but across from the door, along the same wall. She waited for her sisters to water it. As soon as they were all seated on her bed, the pastel curtains drawn back, Vivian dowsed the nut fully before rushing to sit with her sisters. For a few seconds all you could hear was a cracking, as if the nut was breaking from the inside out.

"Do you think you gave it too much water?" Selene asked.

"Sh!"

The up came a small green shoot that just kept growing and growing, getting larger and larger, it's roots spreading farther. Sprouting branches as the trunk got wider and wider, it's green falling gently towards the ground. The only thing unusual about this tree was that its trunk was hollow except for a table like wood set in the middle of it and several other strips of wood going up the trunk. And a stump of wood, shaped like a seat was before it.

Vivian gleamed with satisfaction. Not only did this willow tree complete every desire for a bedroom that she had ever wanted but it also gave her an awesome original desk and looked great. The hanging green was kept back from the desk.

"I love magic." Vivian said, her sisters sighed in response.

"Let's have supper." Mollie said. So they did.

That night they put boxes in rooms. They moved three school desks into their makeshift classroom. If they were going to learn from tutors the better keep it in one specific spot so the tutors didn't get to comfortable in their living room.

They put their caldrons they had bought in Diagon Alley several weeks ago, with their wardrobe, in their amateur potions lab at the end of the smaller hallway.

(Triplet's Note: Smaller hallway as in it wasn't as tall and it branched off the main hallway.)

Speaking their names they entered into their new library. They decided to leave the password there to protect their books and a few other things they had found in there. While moving her bed Mollie had found a door, which she showed them after supper. It had turned out to lead straight into another one-person bedroom. 'Guest bedroom.' Was the one and only thought for that. It even had a bathroom with a large tub in it. "Very good for therapeutic care", as Vivian astutely pointed out.

Unpacking their new shelves into their library they watched as the shelves unshrunk themselves as soon as they were set down on the floor. They took their piled books and carried them, with their wands, into their new library. Just setting them on shelves for right now, not even bothering with categorization. That would happen when there was time.

The arch shut behind them as they made their separate ways down the main hall to their respective rooms. Climbing into their bed's they said goodnight.

It was the days before the Quiddich World Cup. Snape had been due back at Hogwarts three days ago but had written Albus telling him he was to spend until the Cup with the Malfoy's. They had, after all, been almost friends during school.

Remus and Sirius had not been back for four days and Dumbledore himself was away often.

"They are, no doubt, searching for Wormtail." Mollie said. Selene nodded. They all sat in Selene's room.

Selene's room, as you remember, resembles the sky of her emotions. Right now was a peaceful galaxy, you felt the stars were so close you could reach out and touch them. Her bed was the moon. A glowing orb that hung in the middle of the room. It had taken Remus and Sirius teaching her some quite complicated spells that required a lot of concentration but she had finally created a glowing three quarter sphere out of the living room couch while practicing with them. It really looked like a baby's cradle except a heck of a lot larger and it hung from the center of the room and had a full size double bed in it along with a few cup holders. Moppy had hung it for her. The main source of light for Selene's room was the moon, her bed. In Mollie's it was candles and in Vivian's it was the sky, but Selene's was the moon.

Back to sitting in Selene's room, on floating bean-bag chairs which lowered themselves for you to sit and then lifted you back up again. She had three for the very purpose of talking with her sisters.

"Should we tell them that he is with Ol' Voldi at the Riddle House?" Vivian asked.

"Probably not." Said Mollie as Selene gave Vivian's chair a slight push. "Potter will find out soon enough." Vivian went floating away. "And they haven't asked for our help either."

"The future is best kept silent. Right?" Selene added.

"What the…they move!" Vivian cried as she tried to inch herself towards her sisters who were giggling hysterically. Mollie pushed Selene's with all her strength and watched as Selene went rushing towards the opposite wall on her beanbag, bouncing off and heading towards Vivian.

"Grab my hand Sel!" A stranded Vivian shouted, reaching out towards her sister who clutched her hand and pushed off the opposite wall with her slippers. The sky surrounding them immediately changed into a bright sunny day on earth. "Woops!" As they both rushed off towards Mollie.

All three where flying around the room, changing the sky with each push off. It was bumper bag heaven!

They were still laughing as they entered their clear-of-junk living room when the fireplace roared up.

"Blackwells, The Headmaster expects you _pronto_.'" Vivian fell off the chair she was just about to sit on.

"Ouch."

"I guess our loverly bat from the dungeons is back to grace us with his kind…"

"Shut up Selene, let's go." Mollie answered as she stepped through the flames, her black robe was the last to disappear in the flames.

"Now I know why she was keeping that thing around during these past few days! Let's go see the action!" Selene and Vivian rushed for the floo, stepping in one after another.

They tumbled into Dumbledore's office, Selene did an entire summersault just for kicks. Vivian laughed, "I've always wanted to do that too."

Looking around they were greeted by a bowl full of a multi-colored small things crawling all over themselves and a grim spy.

"Care for a Tickling Ant? They are fruit flavored! If you are lucky, you might find a mango flavored one." Dmbledore said as a greeting. Selene and Vivian accepted and sat down at a casual wave of Albus' hand. They popped a few into their mouths. A deathly pale (your death, not his) Potions Master stared into the fire they had just stepped out of.

"How have you been Albus?" Mollie asked. "And you Snape?"

"It's been several day's since you've come over to see us." Vivian added.

"We've made some quite extraordinary changes to our quarters that we would love for you to comment on." Selene said, she threw another ant into the back of her throat, feeling it tickle before swallowing it whole.

"I'm quite fine, thank you ladies. A little busy here and there but nothing that isn't normal for this time of year. You wouldn't happen to know where Peter Petigrew is hiding, would you?" He asked. Vivian popped another two ants into her mouth, feeling them run around before sucking the fruit juice out of them.

The triplets smiled, their assumptions were correct. "Yes, but I don't think it would do any good to act on that information so I don't think we are going to tell you." Mollie answered for the triplets.

"So how are Remus and Sirius doing?" Selene asked. Snape closed his eyes in disgust.

"Ladies, Severus believes we have a situation on our hands." The girls sat up straighter. "Severus would you care to explain?"

'No I would not _care to explain_.' "There will be an amature Death Eater parade at the Quiddich World Cup. It would be unsafe for you to venture out of Hogwarts. We cannot allow you to risk yourselves like that, _you shall not go_."

'Uh. Duh there will be.' Went through the girl's heads. Their total lack of respect for the situation made him even angrier. They watched him go from seething to stone hard in under one second.

'Amazing.' Went through Mollie's head. Her sister's mentally slapped her, which was nothing more then a picture of them slapping her. It almost made her laugh, but she just looked at Dumbledore with a smile.

"Now that you see my Potion Master's view point I would like to know why you knew this but cared not to tell."

"Like Snape said, Albus, this is going to be an amateur Death Eater night where only a few muggles will be played with, not killed. We do not want them hurt, but Voldemort is coming back." Vivian said.

"For us to go or not to go would change nothing, Sir, besides helping us realized that this world is for real. All we have seen in Diagon Alley, an empty fairyland we have dreamed of. To see tonight would be to wake up and realize this is real." Selene added.

"For you to stop this amateur night would only postpone the Ministry's belief that Voldemort has, in fact, returned. That would be catastrophic. Tomorrow night must happen. For Harry, for the Ministry, and for a grand finally to the Quiddich World Cup." Mollie ended.

"Um. I guess you can take your tent back. We won't need that since it will just be a daytime outing." Selene said.

"Are you expected to join this rabble, Snape?" Mollie asked.

"Dumbledore," Snape continued, ignoring Mollie's question. "They have no protection. No possible defense."

"Ah! Snape! Your care for our safety means so much to us." Mollie said smiling fakely at the greasy wave of anger who refused to look at her. They knew he only cared for winning the war. He was as pure a Slytherin as you could get…almost…and the triplets were just a tool to him.

"If you are so worried then you can join them, Snape." Said Dumbledore as he chewed on a few ants. Chuckling slightly as he felt them squirm.

"I refuse to go to a Quiddich match."

"Why Severus! You liked it well enough in your own days here." Dumbledore reasoned.

"Even though he missed half the games to study, no doubt." Mollie whispered to Selene sitting next to her.

"Dumbledore, it is not a good idea to let these nitwits out of Hogwarts looking like triplets. There are very few triplets in the wizarding world anymore."

"Very well, they will go under the influence of a Polyjuice Potion." Dumbledore said.

"It takes twenty-one days just to stew the lacewing flies, how am I going to possibly create that potion before tomrrow."

"You are a Potions Master. Certainly you have the most necessary Potions all stacked in alphabetical order." Mollie asked, looking pointedly at Snape. "Has Lucius spoken of us?"

"Not in the past decade." He answered.

"Good! Then it is settled. I will have Remus take them out right away to find someone to impersonate. No doubt, Snape, you already have someone in mind you wish to masquerade as."

Half an hour later, after Remus was called to Hogwarts and after the triplets had changed into their old Muggle clothing, they set off road off towards a small Muggle town in one of Hogwart's carriages with the crest removed pulled by a real horse so as not to frighten anyone.

"So where exactly are we going?" Vivian asked.

"A small village called Ilmington, north of Chipping Campden." He said as they passed beautiful countryside and entered into the village itself of about two dozen houses. The climbed out of their carriage and Remus entered The Howard Arms pub.

It was clean inside but the smell of stale beer did cloud the senses for a moment. The triplets walked in and sat down at a table as Remus went to talk with the waitress. She was a pretty little thing. Dark eyelashes and milky skin, you could see freckles spotting her nose and her fore arms. She dark hair and didn't even look twenty yet.

"She's mine." Vivian said. 'Remus, get a lock of her hair please.' He turned and nodded, continuing to speak with the girl who was obviously infatuated with him. They couldn't hear what they were saying but watched Remus lean closer to her and pick up her hand. They could here her giggle and blush as she reached up and cut a section of her hair for him. She smiled as he ordered a round of fries for all of them, still blushing as she bit her lip.

He put the strand of hair into a paper napkin and handed it to Vivian who put in her purse with a smile.

"Thank you, Remus." Vivian said.

"No. My name is Earnest, for right now. And this girl's shift is almost done."

"Ah! It is important to be Earnest." Mollie said, laughing.

"That it is!" Selene said.

"Cheers to that." Vivian added as she put the lock in her purse.

Scissors in hands they walked outside after their fries and knocked a waitress to the ground.

"I'm sorry." She said. Remus helped her up as Selene reached down and sniped off a couple pieces of her hair. She put the hair in a napkin Mollie held ready and quickly put her scissors back in her black leather purse. The girl stood.

"I'm so sorry to knock you over like that." Remus said, smiling.

"Not a problem, really. It's these goddamn heals. I'm used to wearing boots." Her English accent was so heavy it was almost Scottish or Irish. The triplets were never very good at identifying accents.

"It really was my bad." Selene said. "I think I may have been the one to knock you over. Can we get you a drink?" She asked, really she just wanted the girl to turn around so she knew whether to throw the piece of hair away or not.

The girl, about the same age and size as the other waitress, and slightly shorter as the triplets turned to look at Selene. It really looked like this pub only hired Hooter girls.

"The name is Irma and I'll be on duty next. Where are you headed from Ilmington?"

"We are going down towards Chipping Campden to look at the church and visit the shops." Selene said. "Where are you from, I can't quite place your accent."

"I'm from Ireland. My father came over here when I was about eleven. He died several years ago so now I work here at The Howard Arms. It's not much but it's a livin'."

"I'm sorry." Selene said to the quite pretty waitress, she had a curvy figure and larger chest like Selene's, or maybe it just looked larger because of the outfit she was wearing. She was a redhead with a sweet round, a slightly bigger nose and lips, but it wasn't too bad, a dark green eyes. She had the cheeks every Irish women had. "Well, we should really get going. It was nice meeting you."

"Very well. Nice meeting you too." She nodded good bye to them and the triplets and Remus, sorry Ernest, started walking down the street to wear they had left their horse and carriage.

"I'm going to end up being a man, aren't I?" Mollie said.

"Nah!" Said Selene. "There is an English beauty right there who is clipping her nails on her front porch." A peroxide blond, pouting, gray-eyed beauty was sitting on her front porch clipping her nails.

"Watch this!" Mollie said as she walked towards the front porch and sat on the swing next to the girl.

"What is she doing?" Vivian asked a bewildered Selene.

"I think she is teaching the young women how to cut her nails properly." Remus said chuckling. "Sirius would have loved to come see this. Let's go to the carriage."

It was in the carriage that Mollie caught up with them.

"Wow, that was just too dang easy!" She said as she placed several clippings into a napkin held by Vivian and put it in her own purse. "Not only did I show her a better way to clip her nails but I solved half her life's problems too!"

"That was too easy. You picked a perfect village to come to." Said Vivian as they started out towards Hogwarts once again. "Muggles are so unaware."

The conversation was light and happy as they headed back towards the castle. Tomorrow was going to be such an amazing, eye-opening day.


End file.
